Question
QUESTION: I am living in Bangkok Thailand and I have all tropical plants and flowers in my garden. However in the nurseries I always see annuals which I grew during the summer period in New York and Pennsylvania like; impatients, sweet willian, globe amaranth, etc. If I plant some of these 'annuals' how long will they flower here and how long will they last since it is always warm to hot summer weather here. I assume once they die down they won't return like in the northeast of the US. Thanks,

Bob Franceschini
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ANSWER: Hi Bob, I live in south Florida, and the climate zone is similar  to Thailand, in that it is warm year around (albeit we still get a mild winter); here we grow our annuals during the cooler season, or keep them out of the afternoon sun in the hot season. The problem with growing many annuals, is they tend to wilt when the sun is too hot, and need constant irrigation; but you can grow them, just make sure you protect them from the searing afternoon heat. Nick

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QUESTION: Thank you for this reply, I will try them. However I still would like to know for how long they will last - four months like in the northeast of the US - longer, shorter? hanks

Answer
the only factor that shuts down flower production up north is the onset of the colder nights and they eventually die from frost; in the tropics they can be sustained almost indefinitely but usually succumb to the many fungus spores that are rampant. You should be able to keep them around from Sept thru May, then its a crap shoot. Nick