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Overwinter Erysimum Bowles’s Mauve?

suzannejones103suzannejones103 Posts: 2
in Plants
Good evening! I planted Erysimum Bowles’s Mauve in the spring which was lovely but now looks somewhat lacklustre, as you’d expect. Can I move these out of the border for winter and put them back in spring? I realise I can only expect 2 or maybe 3 seasons from this plant and have taken cuttings to see if I can grow new plants for 2021, but ideally I’d like to look at something prettier over the winter. Any recommendations much appreciated thanks!

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  • suzannejones103suzannejones103 Posts: 2
    How hard can I cut back the erysimum? I was under the impression not much at all. The erysimum’s fill half of a brand new small border, and its woody stalks hide the other slower growing  evergreen plants at the moment, so all we can currently see from our front door is ... well, not much more than a row of bald Erysimum stalks. The erysimum was stunning in the summer, with a mass of butterflies and bees enjoying it for many many months, but I think I’d prefer to look at mulched soil and plant a load of crocuses, daffodils and tulip bulbs in place of the erysimum for winter, until the other bushes are better established. Ultimately it’s my first garden so I have a lot to learn! Thank you! 
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    This rang a vague bell with me and l found this old thread.
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1032746/cutting-back-bowles-mauve-erysimum/p1
     As it is nothing but bare stems, l would cut it hard back and see what happens.  If it shoots again, bonus, if not pull it out and replace it with a new one, they are quite easy to take cuttings from but it may be too late this year. You could try with the bits you cut off, nothing to lose  :)
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    I would thoroughly deadhead and leave it.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If your cuttings have rooted, you could risk cutting them back hard. Otherwise just a light trim down to the base of the old flower spikes, to tidy them up. Sometimes they'll come back fine from a hard prune, sometimes not. They aren't very long-lived.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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