skip to main content

garden Shrubs Container Gardening

why did my potted Arnold’s promise not flower great this year?

BM (pnw Zone 8b)

last year

Zone 8b Seattle. moved this Arnold’s promise witch harm to a larger pot last year. I watered it well throughout the season. It had healthy foliage. However, it flowered sparsely this Jan. There was no perfume. I have been wondering what I did wrong. It is getting sunlight.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Maybe not the best subject for a container....and one that appears (at least from the photo angle) perhaps a bit too snug for that size shrub :-) That could very well be affecting how heavily the shrub is blooming. Container culture is tricky to generate optimum results.

Is there a reason it cannot be planted in the ground? I would expect much better results from that.

Flower scent or intensity can be dependent also on growing conditions and especially the weather. Sunny days and mild temperatures typically encourage floral scents while overcast days and cold weather lessen them.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
tree time is counted in decades.. it is still stressed from being repotted .. to what still appears to be a small pot ....

some suggest the root mass of a tree or shrub is perhaps as big as half the plant you see above the ground.. if so.. you can understand how little room there will be in that relatively small pot ...

that you got any bloom at all should cause you to do a happy dance.. rather than be bummed out.. that it is still stressed and not performing to expectation ...

as gal noted .. im not sure.. long term.. this plant will be happy in a pot ... why can you not free willie.. to mother earth ????

ken
Related Discussions
Why did all my petunias in my planters die so quickly?
Q
Comments (20)
Hi grny28, I am going to refer to The Ortho Problem Solver, seventh edition on this, because I am no expert on Petunias (zinnias are my "thing"). The book's coverage on Petunia problems starts on page 262 and continues onto page 264. It has articles on Gray Mold (everywhere in the US), Smog Damage (limited to relatively small coastal areas), Caterpillars, Cutworm Damage, and the last article on Crown and Root Rot (everywhere in the US) seems the most likely culprit. Crown and Root Rot is caused by Phytophthora (I don't think you can say that without spitting a little), a fungus that lives in the soil. It initially attacks the roots or stem at or just below the soil level. The dark dry decay of the lower stem tissue and roots reduces the flow of water to the leaves and flowers, causing the petunia to wilt and die. Crown and Root Rot is common in heavy poorly drained wet soils. The fungus (Phytophthora) is spread by contaminated soil, transplants, and tools. The solution is to remove and destroy infected plants and all the soil within 6 inches of their roots. How do you destroy soil? Well, I guess you could throw it into an incinerator, but I would just put it a plastic bag and send it to the landfill with the rest of the garbage. To prevent a recurrence of Crown and Root Rot, you should improve your soil drainage and drench it with a fungicide containing Captan. That's what the Ortho book says. Repeat the drench monthly during the growing season and let the soil dry out between waterings. I try to avoid problems of this sort with my zinnias by adding a lot of sand to my garden soil to create a sandy loam, and I add Perlite to my indoor growing medium to increase its drainage. "They were planted in larger containers along with other plants that are fine, What are the chances of a disease from so many different nurseries?" Many plants aren't susceptible to Phytophthora, and the problem is in your soil or growing medium, and not at the different nurseries. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)
...See More
Things I promise to do this year.
Q
Comments (16)
Melissa, you and I are the same. I am not able to just sit and quietly enjoy my garden. I read a great essay some years ago - perhaps by Diane Ackerman? - of a woman who dreamed of making a meadow, and walking through it in full bloom in a white dress and straw hat. She worked like mad for two years - meadows aren't easy - and finally had her perfect moment. That was it. She was bored by the meadow, and began planning what she would do next! I've often wondered how long I will volunteer in the Sacramento cemetery. The answer is, so long as it is interesting, and there is something new and creative to do. On a very good Saturday, I have Sheriff's crew members working on irrigation, repairing brick plots, and weeding or spreading mulch in various spots in the rose garden, while we volunteers are deployed caring for the roses. Leader of an army of barbarians? Well, yes, almost literally. And delighting in my kingdom, absolutely. What do I promise to do this year? Hmmm. Labeling my photos would be a good thing. I take the pictures, but then have to spend hours finding them. Getting a system in place so that I can find them readily would be very, very good. Anita
...See More
Who did I promise a banana to?
Q
Comments (14)
LOL @ Lucy! You are so funny. You, too, Joyce! :) Mary - are you sure the mother plant is dead? I thought a few of mine were as well, but I cut down below soil level and some are coming back. Yay! Eloise - I have what I consider to be some of the standards... orinoco, dwarf cavendish, ice cream, basjoo (sort of!), gran nain, dwarf red, goldfinger, ornata purple, zebrina, ensete maurelii, musa lasiocarpa. Problem is, the winter of 2007 I got some of them mixed up so not sure which is which. LOL The person that I wanted to send a banana to was a woman, I'm sure. And I believe she wanted something that wouldn't get huge. Pretty sure she was on GW and still expecting her to see this post. I've posted on a couple other forums but so far, nothing. Dang, I feel bad I can't remember who it was. I can come up with tons of excuses though! Been busy, getting senile, email account cleared, menopause brain fog, lack of pottasium from non-productive banana plants. (Got fruit once... the freeze did'em in)
...See More
Think I figured out why my plumeria did not bloom
Q
Comments (27)
plant some brugs, also known as bugmansia, the snails prefer them over the plumeria lol! Noone I know on the coast got a good bloom season this year. Trees on the island were hit and miss, one blooming but not a single on in the same yard bloomed. The house around the corner has 30 or so, only 2 bloomed this year and usually her yard is a riot of color. I blamed the fact that I actually fertilized them this year and the fact I had put a lot in the ground or repotted them. They all grew leaps and bounds but poor blooming. Stay warm! Tally HO!
...See More
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
last year
My witch hazels typically wait almost two seasons before they show flowering happiness or disgust with their growing conditions. The growth often jumps ahead or is stunted depending on how the plant is treated, but the flowers seem to lag another year, so I suspect you'll see a better show next year if the plant has been happy.

I moved one last year and growth in the spring was stunted, but the bush set many flower buds for this year regardless. I'm expecting it to grow normally now, but barely flower at all next year. A droughty summer can also show up as a sparse blooming year two years later. This is my experience for the hybrids btw, I don't know if the native sorts do the same.

Actually they're pretty slow in general when it comes to reproducing. The seeds take about a year to ripen and then a year and a half to two years to sprout once the seed pods explode and release the seeds.
sam_md
last year
See PREVIOUS THREAD about witch hazel issues. Decades ago I devoted alot of time grafting and growing asian WH's. Unwilling and unable to saturate them with fungicide throughout the growing season I simply removed them. I'm having the same blight issues that many in eastern US are having. At one time the jewel in the winter garden we are increasing "marking them off the list". Interestingly our native WH seems unbothered by the blight.
BM (pnw Zone 8b)
Original Author
last year
Thank you gardengal, ken_adrian, katob and sam_md! I feel a little less anxious about the witch hazel. I don’t have any space in the ground anymore, hence it is in a container 😢 I did repot it in a container 2x the size it was in last summer. I have been diligently watering it. Maybe the repotting time was not good or maybe I should get a bigger pot. It also got some sun. I will try to make it happier..

Related Stories

HOLIDAYS Porch Decorating Ideas From Thanksgiving to New Year’s

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Long-lasting wreaths, potted plants and more can cheer up your entryway from fall through winter

FLOWERS Sneak a Peek at Some of Next Year’s Irresistible New Roses

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Here are top 2018 picks for beautiful blooms, lovely fragrances and exceptional disease resistance

LIFE 11 Easy Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

By Laura Gaskill

Work smarter, not harder, to reach your goals — success is more about taking the right approach than about slogging your way there

ROSES Smooth Rose’s Arching, Not-So-Thorny Canes Provide Beauty All Year

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant Rosa blanda, native from the Great Lakes eastward, for its long bloom season, pollinator food and attractive red hips in autumn

LIFE Data Watch: What’s Great, and What’s Not, About a Smaller Home

By Erin Carlyle

Houzz asked more than 200 U.S. homeowners about life in 1,000 square feet or less. Here’s what they said

LIFE What We Love (and Don’t) About New Year’s

By Becky Harris

Here are our favorite and least favorite things about ringing in the new year. What are yours?

KITCHEN DESIGN Ideas From the Year’s Top 10 Kitchens of the Week

By Bryan Anthony

Get inspired by the found objects, reclaimed hardware, efficient storage and work zones in our top kitchens of 2016

HOUZZ CALL Tell Us Your New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

By Erin Carlyle

Share your plans and dreams for your house this year — whether they involve organizing, remodeling or redecorating

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Soak Up Ideas From the Year’s Most Popular Urban Gardens

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Readers’ favorite photos from 2016 deliver new ways to think about city backyards

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Escape Into This Year’s Most Popular Outdoor Seating Nooks

By Annie Thornton

Picture yourself cozied up on a Stockholm balcony or gathered around a blazing fire in an intimate English garden

Sponsored

J.Holderby - Renovations

4 Reviews

Franklin County's Leading General Contractors - 2X Best of Houzz!

More Discussions

Cutting Back Stems After Transplant With Plant Shock?

13

Should I cut back the top of a bare root tree?

3

Rubus idaeus or wineberry?

13

Does my fig tree need prunning?

3

anyone experience these winter killed?

6