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

Half the flower bed dying

n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hello,

I have a garden bed in front of my house. I tried planting a viburnum last year and it died. This year planted two rhododendrons, there is enough space. On one side of the bed, the rhododendron and salvia and great but the other side the rhododendron and salvia are half dying. 

It receives the same amount of sun and one side, the healthy side, gets more rain water than other but the soil feels the same level of water throughout the bed.

How can one side, 2 -3 feet away be thriving in same soil and other side is dying? 

Help! 
«1

Posts

  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
    Can we have a photograph? First thoughts are could there be something buried in the soil, deeper than you have had occasion to dig to? Also, it could still be lack of water, if you’ve planted big things which need a lot. There may be no dampness further down. I would try watering one of the things, quite a lot once a week, rather than little and often, and see if it picks up. 
    Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


  • n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    @n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 if photos don't load it usually means they're too large


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6
    They show on my end. Weird! 
    Let me try just one photo

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I can't see anything wrong with the rhodos, but the only thing I'd say is - rhodos and salvias don't generally like the same growing conditions.
    Up against a wall will always be drier, so the rhodos may not continue to thrive if they don't get adequate water. 
    Are you in the UK or somewhere else?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6
    I'm in the US and did not realize this site was UK, hope that is okay. I just know one rhododendron looks green and happy and the other is half dead. I trimmed off the dead pieces and can see half the bush is still green bark when I scrape, the dead half is not green when I scrape the bark. 

    The salvia are two years old and the one side with the happy Rhododendron is growing green but the other side with sad rhododendron is half dying. 

    So weird one side is super green and other side is not so green. 


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's ok - we have a few folk from the US. It can just make a difference to advice. It was the building that gave it away  ;)
    I looked a bit closer, and there seems to be an obviously damaged bit on one rhodo. Is/was that a break somewhere on the stem?
    It is possible to have plants near each other and one is fine and the other isn't. That does happen, but if the salvia is also not thriving, it suggests a problem lower down - ie the soil and/or drainage. What prep did the bed have before planting? Is it near footings for paving, or steps, or similar?
    It's also important when planting anything, but particularly shrubs, to make sure they aren't pot bound in any way, and are well dampened. Roots can often end up just going round in circles, and no amount of watering will help that. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6
    No foot traffic in that area at all unless some animal is visiting at night. One day there was a goose egg clearly eaten and semi buried against my house on that side so a fox or racoon had visited. We also have skunks and opossums. 

    The damaged areas had no physical damage just wilted leaves and dry branches, I scraped the bark and it appears a brownish color not green but other stems or branches are still green. 

    I dug a bit and found a couple small roots that looked healthy so I'm hoping it'll survive our winters, I'm zone 5 US.

    The draining is same on both sides of garden, no differences other than the healthier side gets more water when it rains. 

    I'm just worried since our viburnum died and it was originally planted where the space between rhododendrons is (we didn't have the rhododendrons then just the viburnum) 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Rhodos certainly need plenty of water - especially for the first few months after planting, and then it's dependant on your general climate after that. I think you'll just have to wait and see, and make sure they aren't getting dried out for long periods. They're shallow rooted, which is why damper, cooler areas are best for them, but they also need reasonable drainage - they won't like waterlogging.
    I had to look up the zone, and that's colder than we would get anywhere in the UK - including the far north, north east, of Scotland, which is consistently the coldest part of the UK. Many rhodos will be fine though, so it will depend on the variety.
    Many salvias wouldn't survive without winter protection. I can only grow the reliably hardy one where I am - S. caradonna, but that may not even be hardy enough where you are. 
    If there are any neighbours nearby who have those plants, it could be worth asking them how well they do. They may even be able to see if there's anything obvious that we can't see from your photos, that could be the problem. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2n4k3dch1ck3npykky8X2 Posts: 6
    Thank you so much!! I think they got too dry because we hadn't watered much due to price of water bill and had no rain for months. Hopefully, there is enough live plant to come back next year. 

    I appreciate all the insight!! 
Sign In or Register to comment.