Problems in the Garden

A while back, I wrote about the ugly parts of my garden; today, I want to show you some particular plants that are giving me trouble. If you have any suggestions as to what's causing the problems, please let me know. (Click on each photo to see a larger view.)

OK--I know the solution to this one: Move the plant, stupid! Every summer, this astilbe gets dry and brown because it sits in the sun half the day. A similar plant, five feet away, but in shade, does fine. Add one more thing to my list for fall.



The sun may be the culprit here, too. Several of the leaves on this camellia look sunburned. In addition to that, though, the plant's color just doesn't look good. Possible causes: lack of some nutrient, (iron? nitrogen?) poorly drained soil, gardener's incompetence???











These "Red Fox" Veronica (Veronica spicata) are growing nicely, but haven't put out the first bloom. The tag said they bloom in late summer, but I wonder how late...if you have some, when does yours bloom?









Compare the leaves of the red maple on the left with the one on the right. I wonder if this tree is suffering the effects of being dug up and moved last winter, then having to endure two months with only an inch of rain. Lesson here: be sure you know where you want the tree before you plant it.








This spring, I planted several Japanese Hollies (Ilex crenata "Soft Touch") in my front bed. One promptly died; the other looked like it was dying, but I cut it way back and it seemed to recover. Now it looks like half the plant is dead, and whatever it is seems to be spreading. Wonder if Voldemort put a killing curse on it? Where is Neville Longbottom when you need him? (Note: don't click the links if you don't want to know how Harry Potter ends.)

I took the dead one back to the nursery to exchange it, and felt kind of stupid because killing a Japanese Holly is like killing ivy--you almost have to try to kill it. I made sure to emphasize that I had five more planted in the same bed that were doing just fine, so the problem was obviously with the plant and not the person who planted it, but the clerk looked dubious. Maybe I should bring photos of the good ones if I have to return this one.


It's always something, isn't it? Of course, I'm thankful that these are the biggest problems in my life right now. Could be a heck of a lot worse. Happy Gardening!

Astilbe

Our first house sat in the deep shade of about a dozen large trees, so I learned early that there is a wealth of plants that thrive with very little sun.
Finding shade plants with brightly colored blooms is a bit of a challenge, but one that I've had good luck with is astilbe. My pink one, pictured here, grows in the deep shade of dogwoods all day and contrasts well with the heavy-leaved hostas and the hellebores. It began blooming about the middle of May and really brightens up the dark corner by the birdbath. Astilbe can live in part sun, but they need to be watered very often, or they'll dry out. My lavender one sits about three feet away, but gets sun for several hours during the day and the leaves frequently get wilty. Last year, one of them got this nasty white fungus and died, but so far this year I've had no problems.