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Disappointing plants
B3
Posts: 27,505
My most disappointing plant is the golden showers rose. The flowers are short-lived, leaves are sparse and disease-prone and it has very little scent.
Would anyone like to warn us against plants that even when properly cultivated are a disappointment?
In London. Keen but lazy.
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Well I have to (shamefully) admit that I have never had any success whatsoever with either Monarda or Rudbeckia. Please don't make my humiliation any worse by telling me that these grow like weeds in your gardens!
i don't think I've ever cultivated anything properly
but the 2 ladybird mentions struggle here until they die. I think monarda needs more moisture in the soil.
If I look in my database of plants/seeds grown there's a lot that have dropped out of sight.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I was thinking of plants that are rubbish despite growing conditions. That everlasting foxglove thing that people love to hate springs to mind.
Illumination pink, yes, I've seen that in GCs this year. Not a stylish plant, just in your face pink
In the sticks near Peterborough
I've had some but they are so unmemorable that I've forgotten what they were.
I also have had no success with Monarda and Rudbeckia. The Monardas do not survive, and the Rudbeckias survive but don't thrive.
Heleniums have not been a success either, but i don't know why. I planted about a dozen varieties, thinking that they would do well in my garden, but only three have survived, and they are only doing moderately well.
Geranium Summer Skies. The individual flowers are exquisite, but they only last in that state for a few days, then die horribly brown and shabby looking. Plus it's a thug and flops everywhere to the detriment of its neighbours. Mine's for the compost in the autumn clear out.
Escallonia Iveyi. It was ideal for a backdrop for other planting. Knowing it would be less hardy than the pink ones, I gave it every chance - south west facing spot, raised bed with plenty of grit, against a fence, other plants for a bit of protection....
turned it's toes up the first winter.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Achilleas ... look lovely in the GC ... look beautiful in the garden for their first year ... then turn up their toes and just don't survive the winter
Don't understand it, the ones in the lawn in front of the border just won't go away whatever I do to them !!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.