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Flowering

13 years ago

I have a couple of ca native plants that have lost their flowers this summer and should be flowering. Perhaps you could give some tips as to proper watering and sunlight needs. There is some new leaf growth, but the flowers that develop quickly close up and die. We are in Southern California.

Lavatera Bicolor (I have 2 plants in full sun and 2 in part shade, all planted in the ground, watering 2x a week)

Fremontodendron (in the ground in full sun with little water)

Dahlia mystic illusion and Fuchsia thalia (potted & moved from full sun where it was burning to part / mostly shade, watering 1-2x a week)

Mexican Bush sage (in the ground, a lot of direct sun, 1x a week watering)

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 years ago
Fremontodendron is your only CA native and it sounds like it is receiving the amount of sun (full) and water (not much) it needs. Also very well drained soil and no fertilizing.

Both the lavatera and bush sage prefer full sun and need minimal watering once established. Not sure how long either of these have been planted but both are recommended for Mediterranean, waterwise gardens so will subsist with minimal supplemental irrigation.

Both the dahlia and fuchsia like a lot of water - dahlia in sun, fuchsia in shade.

Before I could explain why your plants are not flowering, I'd need to know how you are watering - automatic irrigation system? If so, how long a setting? Often, flowers dropping off before they mature is an indication of insufficient water.......which is often very common with automatic systems, which always seem to be programmed by folks who know nothing about plants.
mwags64
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for your advice!

I think the Flannel Bush is doing just fine, it had a handful of more flowers yesterday.

The lavatera bicolor, flannel bush, mexican sage were planted this late February.

The lavatera originally had rust which I treated it for and now it has leaf miners which we are treating with bioneem and by removing the infected leaves, I'm wondering if that has anything to do with leaf loss and lack of flowering?

No automatic system. I am watering by hose that I move around the yard settling on each plant for 5-10 min.

The Dahlia and Fuchsia were potted perhaps a month ago and were hit hard by a heat wave that week. I'll try watering those more.

Thanks!
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