Syringa Miss Japan very sick - help!
Nerene
Posts: 16
I bought this plant last year when it was in flower and very pretty. It's one of the californian lilacs and doesn't get as big as Vulgaris. Anyway I put it in a large pot in partial shade and not long after it flowered, it started losing leaves. Then winter came and I stopped worrying about it, hoping it would recover this spring.
At first I was thrilled as there were definitely leaf buds developing, but they never did develop! The are stunty little things, very pale in colour and not really open now, let alone no sign of a flower! I'm quite cross as it wasn't cheap and from a reputable nursery, but I can only assume I have something it didn't like! Is it because it's in a tub? Is it because it's in partial shade? Does it not like windy (my garden is very windy)? Has it got a disease? I tried the vine weevils test, but the ways the roots were holding, I don't think it's that. Today I was just going to pull it up and bin it, but decided as a last resort to try the forum, as I hate to lose a plant. Someone please help!
Posts
I've thought of taking it back though of course I haven't kept a receipt! I have however got the information card so maybe they would recognise that. They can only say no I suppose. I can't remember how much it was but enough to put me off on my first visit and then decide to go back for it the next day. I don't think they had very many for sale as I recall.
Given what you say, and the state it's in, I will get it up tomorrow and look at the roots, then decide what to do. I've had a look at verticillium and anthracnose but they don't seem to fit the bill - not that there's much leaf to see! The only other thing is that the stubby leaf buds look a bit brown (scorched?) at the ends.
Thanks for your help and here's hoping some of the clever people see my post!
Can't remember the compost exactly as I planted it last spring. Probably I did my usual mix of john innes no 3, some multi-purpose and perlite. I am going to get it out tomorrow and depending on what I find I'll think about planting it in the ground, though really haven't got a suitable place which is why it was in a pot. I would like to move it out of partial shade into sun, even though it says it can be in partial shade but it's too heavy in the pot.
Well, took it out today and the roots looked fine in every way except that they didn't seem to have spread out into the new compost in the pot, which is odd as it doesn't look like it would have been root bound when I planted it. Anyway, I soaked it in a bucket of water for about 2 hrs to thoroughly wet the roots and of course a lot of the compost came off too. I have now re-potted it into a smaller pot (in case that was part of the problem) and given it a good prune and watered it, so that's it now - I hope it revives but this is its last chance - I told it that too!