In article , A.Malhotra
writes


The butterfly weed
also bit the dust...although it germinated well, one day I found all the
seedlings had the tips nibbled off: no culprit in sight, and all other
seedlings untouched. Any ideas?

Sounds like slugs. They tend to go for something they like and leave
neighbouring pots untouched.

I've just had the tops chomped off a potful of Lithops :-(

However, despite doing all the fiddly "pricking out" for the Nicotiana,
calendula and cerinthe that I did, the plants seem to have really weak
stems at the point at which they join the soil, giving really floppy
plants. Is this because I replanted them too close together?

Too little light? It always happens to me. They sort themselves out
eventually.

Did you really prick out the nicotianas? I can never muster the patience
to do anything than divide the mass into 1 inch squares and plant those
out.


My california poppies are also a bit of a disaster. I planted them out
about a month ago, since when they appear to have shrunk if anything! They
are in dryish soil, in a part of the garden that is a suntrap when the sun
is on it but doesn't get sun the whole day. What's wrong with this?

That *sounds* OK. But I find they grow well on my wet clay, so maybe
they do need somewhere damper? I don't know.

Next year, I'll be on
maternity leave with more time to spend on planting seeds.

Don't you believe it!
Hobbies are something you do before you have children ;-)
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm