Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Ident and maintenance Please.

TedBTedB Posts: 13
edited February 2023 in Plants
The largest on the right.
All the grasses we cut down to near ground level.
Can we also do it with that plant.......we have always simply removed dead leaves in the past.
It does look a bit sad and bedraggled this year!

Tried to post a current image but couldn't?


Posts

  • TedBTedB Posts: 13
    edited February 2023
    Tried to post a current image but couldn't ?
    Also don't seem to be able to delete this post.
    Having a bad morning!!
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    That's a Phormium.  You have been doing the right thing, removing the dead leaves.  You could also tidy it up now by removing the old flower stalks and any other weather damaged leaves.  Otherwise, apart from wet, freezing conditions when they can suffer, they're trouble free.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited February 2023
    Now that you've edited your post, I realise that your plant probably looks a lot worse than it did!  A mature plant like that will have several growing points.  Check to see if they still look and feel viable (ie not wet, mushy and brown).  If so, trim off any dead leaves and flower stalks at the base with secateurs or scissors and give it time to recover.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Mine are all dead, so if yours has no new growth appearing in the middle, it may not recover. It'll depend on how severely the weather has affected it. Many people have had the same problem. As @Plantminded says, if the shoots in at the base of it are mushy, it's unlikely to be ok, but any new, healthy growth means it can come back again.  :)

    Don't worry about the posts - it's fine. The photo problem isn't your fault either - it's an issue that's been going on for years. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I'm sorry to hear about your Phormiums @Fairygirl, it's very disappointing when a favourite plant capsizes!  How did your Fatsias fare?  Mine are looking a bit forlorn, I'm hoping some warmer weather will cheer them up!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The Fatsia's looking middling to hellish @Plantminded :D
    To be fair, it always looks rough after winter. There's plenty of new growth in there at the back though. I took some of the really bad stuff away recently.
    I need to move it, for reasons I won't bore you with, so it'll be getting chopped and lifted at some point. Then it'll need to pull it's socks up  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TedBTedB Posts: 13
    Thank you both for your comments.
    It does seem to be relatively dry and firm around the whole of the base so here's hoping.
    Regards :)





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Might be ok then @TedB. Fingers crossed for you  :)
    If it's the plain, species one, they're tougher than many of the named varieties too. If you see some new shoots in about the base over the next month or six weeks, you'll be ok. 
    PS - can you send me a wee bit of that sunshine please?  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I thought I had lost a phormium in a minus 15 night we had some years ago. All the top rotted off. I tidied it up in April, and by the end of the summer there was new shoots. Now its back to normal.  Don't give up yet.  I didn't dig it out because the roots are pretty solid lumps, so my lazyness  worked to my advantage that time.
Sign In or Register to comment.