Jasmine and Cytisus bushes dying :(
Last week I bought a beautiful Jasmine Officiale plant and a Cytisus Stand broom tree from my garden centre for my seafront balcony. They were re-potted in slightly bigger pots and watered well. The weather has been very very cold but I read that they could tolerate a cold condition. The sun is on them most mornings but it's a cold sun at the moment.
Yesterday I got such a shock as all the yellow flowers on the broom have wilted and look dry/dying and the jasmine bush has a lot of dead flowers too.
I'm not a plant expert. In fact most plants die on me. But I read up a lot on these two beautiful plants and I was convinced I'd be lucky this time. I was so worried to see how much they's deteriorated I went out and bought some fleece to put over them at night. Please could anyone on here give me some advice? I must be doing something very wrong (again!). I really don't want to lose them.
I'm not very good uploading photos but I will try so that you can see the problem.
Thank you for any help,
Sarah
Posts
They can tolerate a good bit of cold but sometimes when you buy these plants they've never been outside and have grown very soft. The frosts we had a few night ago would brown them off. I should think the plants themselves are OK
In the sticks near Peterborough
Sarah - I absolutely agree with nutcutlet's comments but am also wondering what's the depth of those pots, are there drainage holes in the bottom and what compost have you used?
Last edited: 29 April 2017 11:13:19
Hi,
Yes there are drainage holes, the new pot is 36cm high X 30cm across, the photo of the compost is attached and the flowers/leaves have deteriorated since yesterday. I'm very upset to say the least.
Neither of my two outdoor jasmines have any flowers or even buds on them yet. I imagine that was raised indoors. Also jasmine can become a huge plant. I tried planting one next to a rose and it killed the rose by grabbing all the root room. I can't imagine it staying happy and blooming long in a container.
Well why do nurseries sell them at such an exhorbitant price? They have indeed probably been grown indoors but I paid over £50 for them both
The do because they can, people buy them, all good money. Instant impact is what many gardeners want and are willing to pay for.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Usual story over and over again. Naive gardeners are lured into buying stupendous-looking plants in garden centres (I refuse to call them "nurseries") and are then disappointed when they plant them at home.
I can only agree with previous comments (by nutcutlet et al). Sorry for you, Sarah, but you seem to have accumulated all the wrong choices.
- Those 2 plants (like most plants in fact) should be bought small and preferably not in flower, and from a proper nursery, not a GC.
- They should be planted in the garden, not in pots on a balcony.
- They should NOT have been planted in pots and left outside to the VERY cold weather we are having at the moment (in the UK and in France (where I live) as well).
Now for more positive news.
a) Those plants may not be dead and they may survive.
b) Hopefully you will have learnt a lesson (the hard way).
I'm afraid it's a result of the Garden Makeover type programmes, where gardening has been replaced by something akin to 'interior decorating'.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
... and, if you consider that for most plants to grow healthily the root system will be roughly the same size as the top growth, you'll see why those pots are too small. Did the GC sell them to you along with the plants ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I resent being called "naive" Papi Jo! Yes I am a very inexperienced gardener but prior to buying the plants I specifically asked workers in the garden centre whether they would be ok in pots on a sometimes windy balcony. I asked two or three different workers - one even got someone "higher up" to come over and confirm and they all said they would be fine. I didn't just gaze at them in awe and buy them.
Needless to say I won't be visiting that place again.