My 5 week old gardens are still very bare but my few plantings came from a variety of sources and I've noticed that my POP's are snobs and really do not like living here.
I have planted stuff that I have ordered from online nusersies and though some of it is not growing at rates that satisfy me, some are, and those that are not are at least alive. Alive is where the bar is set for now. Next year maybe I'll try for beautiful. The 26 hedge roses I planted are doing well and I'm hoping to have an actual flower blooming for bloom day on July 15th. The lavender and clematis (also from online nurseries) have hardly grown at all but they do not look dead. The zinnia seeds (see below) I direct sowed are even coming up! And then there's the passalong plants...
The lily of the valley I got from nice freecycle.org lady is alive but barely holding on, the other unknown plant she gave me - dead! The bachelors button from garden buddy - dead! The raspberry and coneflower garden buddy gave me that just planted on Sunday - not looking good!
What is it with these POP's? I'm starting to think transplanting them to my garden is like taking a teenager who lived her whole life in a mansion and moving her to a one room shack on the side of the road. They are in shock! They hate my dirt! They are too use to living in garden utopias and I cannot give them that right now! Must thou dwell in great dirt, eat from rich compost or fancy fertilizers and drink from underground sprinklers? Is my love for thee is not enough?
Raspberry and Coneflower POP's in pots directly from garden buddy. They look okay, right?
Here is one of the Coneflower plants from this morning. WTH??
Code Blue!!! I'm really trying hard to stay organic but the miracle grow is looking better and better...
I'm answering Code Blue. Transplanted perennials will go into immediate shock. This doesn't mean they are dead. Keep them well watered and one day you'll notice that they are recovering from being yanked out of their cozy home.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of Miracle Gro or other fertilizer will help them during this recovery stage.
I once transplanted a sapling my neighbor gave me and all the leaves fell off. Each time a neighbor would pass it they'd tell me it was dead. I just replied " wait and see" and sure enough one day new leaves and branches emerged.
So, Gina, patience is required .
Adding fertilizer to a plant in shock can burn it further, too. Patience and water should help.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with Carolyn. I've re-planted coneflowers before and they did the same thing and I had the same reaction -- this was all BB (Before Blog). But I left them, watered them, and they came back next season.
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