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Bowles Mauve looks sat on! Normal?

Richard276Richard276 Posts: 3
in Problem solving

I am a novice gardener and I planted 3 erysimum's last summer. They established well and they went through the autumn and early winter well. I am a little concerned that they look sat on in the last month however. It is a front garden and it is possible they were one by one damaged by vandals, but this is unlikely (see photo). Is it possible it is wind damage; or do cats/foxes like eating them maybe? Could it be the sheer weight of the branches and the wind break them! Will new growth fill the unsightly gap during the spring ? Thanks!

   

image

Last edited: 17 February 2017 17:37:36

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889

    I'd say new growth will fill the gap in no time.

    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,146

    I agree with Hosta image  

    Most plants look a bit dishevelled after the winter. It'll look fine when it's put on some fresh growth in the spring. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Remember to take some cuttings in July too.  While it is technically a perennial, it does tend to get leggy after 2 or 3 years.  It's one of the easiest plants to propagate that way.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Richard276Richard276 Posts: 3
    Verdun says:

    Richard, they often do that when growing fast as young plants entering winter.

    The secret, I think, is to cut them back a little at planting time.  I would wait a couple of weeks and cut those stems back to shoots lower down.  New upright growth from the centre will emerge and by late spring you will have a nicely dense compact plant again.  Leave those flattened stems as they 

    See original post

    Thanks for the useful comments. It is nice to know that this can happen. 

    Sorry for the silly question, but what does "cut back a little" imply? Is this a gentle prune, so cutting back by say an inch? 

    I've read that these plants don't like heavy pruning, so I guess this means a tiny prune, but what is a gentle prune?

    Some branches are split nearly down to the base,  so only a few mm's are connecting them to the main plant. This doesn't look healthy. I assume removing them completely is not a good thing to do? 

     

    Last edited: 18 February 2017 08:06:56

  • Richard276Richard276 Posts: 3

    Great! Thanks for advice! I'll cut back a little next month and take cuttings later on! 

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