Floppy Lavatera

Nors · July 2013

Hi,

I bought what was labelled as a Lavatera Clementii Burgundy Wine about six weeks ago and planted it in my garden. It has grown to about 4 foot and has flowered beautifully. The flowers do not appear to be "Burgundy" but a paler (just as pretty) pink. My problem is that the stems have completely flopped over and are lying on other plants. I have tried staking them but they just flop right over the stake. I had thought that Lavatera was an upright plant that didn't require much staking. The stems, while not as thin, are almost as floppy as a piece of twine. We are having extremely hot sunny weather so I have kept it well watered. The leaves and flowers look healthy. What am I doing wrong?

Fairygirl · July 2013

Hi Nors- I'm inclined to say it's just the heat. In a normal summer it would be fine but it's put on lots of growth and then been hit by the high temperatures and the roots haven't yet become established enough to support it all. If it was in a pot you could easily move it to a shadier spot during the hottest part of the day - I did that recently with a few plants- but as it's in the ground you could try giving it a little man-made shade instead with greenhouse netting or lightweight material - anything to keep the worst of the sun off it for a few hours. If that's all that's wrong you'll see a difference within a few days, and if it's still floppy then there's a different issue.

fidgetbones · July 2013

It sounds like a Lavatera Barnsley with pale pink flowers.

Burgundy wine is a deep reddish purple flower.

At the moment I find anything planted in the last 6 weeks is having to be watered every night, or it wilts.

Floppy Lavatera

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