skip to main content

Container Gardening

unhappy desert rose

granburyflowergirl

13 years ago

My desert rose seems to be suffering terribly and I can't figure out what is wrong. The leaves are all limp, brown and mushy but the branches and above soil line roots look okay.

This is my first winter with a desert rose, is this just what they do in the winter? Too much water? Not enough water? Too cold? I have it in my shed with all of my other container plants. I installed two windows in the shed, Christmas lights are providing minimal warmth and I have a fan moving the air around. About once a week on nice days, I open it up and rotate the plants so everybody gets a turn closest to the windows, so far everybody else seems fine with this arrangement. Any suggestions for my poor rose? Would it be happier in the warm house?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
Being it's a zone 10 plant, it's almost (a nice way of saying it is) certain they cannot tolerate the cold they're being subjected to.

Al
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
I have been in a lrearning experience for 3 years and this is what I have found out:

They hate COLD temps and HATE to be watered at all at this time. Unless they are in a full sunny very warm to hot window or under lights and actively growing with leaves, you should not water at all.

Some I know do not water them at all all winter while they go into dormant stage. Only when leaves start to emerge, they start watering in warm sun.

Let's make this as easy as possible.

They usuually rot if you introduce any water to them in the conditions you described.

Mike
Related Discussions
Unhappy Roses
Q
Comments (5)
Hi Bob, it looks like rose scale. It's a sucking insect. The waxy gray spots are the adults. They insert their snout into the cane and suck out the sap, covering themselves with that waxy coating. At this stage, they have to either be suffocated by an oil product, or perhaps with a suitable systemic. There are also eggs and crawling nymphs which may also be able to be killed with an oil product, or possibly a suitable insecticide. Nasty critters, aren't they? Good luck! Kim
...See More
Warning! Rose sale at EuroDesert Roses
Q
Comments (17)
Argh!!!! Enabling is sooooo true. I bought gertrude jeckyll, abraham darby, happy child, crown princ margaretta, ebb tide, golden celebration,ambridge and portlandia from heirloom roses and was surfing about trying to find more information on roses that can handle a shadier area.... when I found your post.... I live close to wrightwood in california. On the sunny side of the same mountain. Nice weather here. 1 hour from euro desert roses so I looked and looked and looked.. logged back on and re looked... why did I see that post... I ended up ordering lady overtoun, souv of wooton, surpassing beauty of woolverstone, gipsey boy, louise odier maybe I ordered that from heirloom... marie dermar, daniel and asta von parpart.... argh.. Hope I love them as much as I hope I will.... Fragrance and charm is a goal of my garden.
...See More
Desert rose & high desert don't mix.
Q
Comments (2)
Same here in the SF bay area...half the time they never bloom if grown outdoors in pots-even when placed where it can get blazing hot on a summers day..I think it IS the cool nights of 60f and lower all through our spring-fall that really doesnt allow them to grow much or flower. I have two of the hardiest-a hybrid and A. arabicum,and they arent encouraging me to add any more.
...See More
Can't get desert rose plant to bloom
Q
Comments (11)
I'm still a noob here, but i've learned a few things. It looks like your plant definitely isn't getting enough sunlight. Adeniums are quite tolerant of even full sunlight. If your leaves are burning it either means you are over fertilizing, or are leaving pesticide on the leaves which can burn when the plant is placed in sunlight. I've had good results applying pesticide in the evening, letting it sit overnight, and then rinsing the plant off in the morning before it gets sunlight. I, too, use the Bayer brand mentioned above, and it seems to work well. I ordered some plants from Florida, and they came completely infested with red spider mites. If i looked closely, I could see the red specks moving around. I have wondered if there isn't another pest that i can't see, which seems to leave a white crusty substance all over, especially around developing leaves. I broke out my camera with my 100mm macro lens a couple of weeks ago. I'll try to upload some later to further this conversation.
...See More
mrlike2u
13 years ago
If at first you don't succeed try try again or We further our growing knowledge more by failure than success.
granburyflowergirl
Original Author
13 years ago
LOL, is it too late if I bring it inside our toasty house now? Maybe blow dry the roots with my hair dryer? :-)

On a happy note, my citrus are all shiny and lush and some are even blooming up a storm in these conditions
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Don't blow dry the roots! ;)

Josh

Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Great Design Plant: Paint the Summer Landscape With Desert Willow

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

If the vibrant flowers of this Southwestern native tree don't blow you away, the hummingbirds, fire resistance and low maintenance will

GARDENING GUIDES What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Want to add the beauty of roses to your garden? Find out which ones, from old-fashioned to modern, are right for you

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Reimagine the Rose Garden

By Kristy Woodson Harvey and Beth Woodson

No need for boxlike bushes. Modern roses are breathtakingly beautiful mixed casually and with less formal shapes in the landscape

GARDENING GUIDES Learn the Secret to Bigger and Better Roses

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Grow beautiful roses using both ordinary and unusual soil amendments

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

GARDENING GUIDES Southwest Gardener's April Checklist

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Welcome the return of roses and herbs, and consider a new use for vines as you rejoice in your newly green spring garden

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Rosa Banksiae a Low-Maintenance Beauty

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

This thornless, disease- and insect-resistant rose brings showers of white or yellow flowers to the spring garden

FLOWERS Great Design Plant: Globe Mallow

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

This drought-tolerant perennial hides a secret, but the delicate beauty it brings to desert landscapes is no surprise

BLUE AND GRAY FOLIAGE Great Design Plant: Parry's Agave

By Annie Thornton

Don't let the spikes scare you away — this succulent is surprisingly friendly to gardeners whose landscapes lie beyond the desert

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Lay of the Landscape: Southwestern Garden Style

By Marianne Lipanovich

Water may be scarce, but color and striking foliage are as profuse in the desert landscape as the sunsets are breathtaking

Sponsored

More Discussions

Firefly Petunia in Containers Outside

4

Fertilizing in a self water pot?

5

was just gifted a starter gardenia bonsai

1

How to prune dracaena

0

Planting in small concrete planters

2