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Yellowing leaves

ahudson19ahudson19 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
What feed do I need for yellowing leaves on Skimmia, salvia Amistead and bridal bouquet all planted in the same area. Is it lack of nitrogen?

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I've no idea what 'bridal bouquet' is. Is it a shrub of some kind?

    Salvias like quite different conditions from Skimmias. Sun and free draining soil, whereas Skimmias are better in shadier, damper conditions, so there could be a problem with the site. 
     
    Yellowing foliage on Skimmias tends to be due to alkaline soil, or a lack of magnesium.  Many salvias would be dying back just now, so yellow leaves wouldn't necessarily be a problem. 

    Do you have a photo of the plants? It's not possible to be accurate without seeing them.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ahudson19ahudson19 Posts: 2
    Thank you. The correct name for the shrub is Exchorda. There is another salvia only 2 ft from the yellowing one which is a healthy dark green. The soil is London clay. I have photos but I'm new to this forum and have to find out how to upload them ! The salvia doesn't look very yellow in the photo but compared to all my others in the garden it does look sickly. All these plants are in dappled shade but get morning sun.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Clay is a good growing medium, but it needs amended to be useful. 
    There seems to be a lot of plants all growing very close together. That has a major effect on the health of any plant as there's huge competition for moisture and nutrients, which are the main reasons for plants struggling. It's also normal for shrubs to drop foliage at this time of year, and that's replaced by new stuff, but they'll drop more and have more damage if stressed. 
    The shrubs are also possibly struggling due to dry conditions, and certainly they look as if they need some nutrients. Always better to feed the soil to sort that - by adding organic matter at regular intervals. Well rotted manure, leaf mould, compost etc. It's worth checking the soil to see how dry it is. 
    Exochordas aren't very fussy as to the pH of the soil, but Skimmias don't like soil that's too alkaline.  It may need magnesium if it's unable to take up the necessary nutrients. That's quite a common problem If the soil is on the alkaline side, the Skimmia won't do well, no matter what you add,  and it's worse if they're in a drier sunnier position. It may need a regular feed - there are plenty of proprietary makes available, but the first thing is to look at the soil and it's moisture level. 

    Salvias need as much sun as possible. They also need divided every few years to keep them rejuvenated, or have cuttings taken. If the soil isn't well draining, they suffer. I'm not sure there's too much wrong with that one though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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