On Mar 1, 12:55 pm, "paulfj" wrote:
On Mar 1, 1:45 pm, FragileWarrior
wrote:
"paulfj" wrote in news:1172760565.868553.54280@
8g2000cwh.googlegroups.com:
Here's a list of what we've planted, though I think the issue is
inadequate drainage:
I pulled a few facts about these plants just to try and piece this together
a bit.
Blackeyed Susan
Medium tolerance for drought; likes well-drained soil. Sun to partial
shade but will not tolerate a lot of shade.
Goblin
Is that a moonwort? That's not zoned for where you are, AFAICT.
Lantana
Ok for NC. Can withstand drought; likes full sun. Lantana camera isn't
zoned for where you are but I think all the other ones are.
Columbine (purple & yellow) - 1 of 3 seemed to do ok, and it's on the
outside corner of the bed
Wild Columbine likes partial shade; moist, well-drained humus soil.
Foxglove
There are some varieties that aren't grown in NC. Perhaps you have the
wrong kind? Most varieties (if not all) like partial shade.
They like moist but well-drained soil.
Lily of the Nile
Likes full AM sun but perhaps PM sun was too much for it?
Maiden Pink
Is that Dianthus deltoides? Being a wildflower, it should have been able
to take a bit of neglect. Perhaps the dieback was a natural part of the
cycle?
Red Fox
Can't find this one listed at:http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets
Rosea
Can't find this one, either.
Termari Patio Rose
Or this one.
Wine Periwinkle
Can't find this specific one but Periwinkle likes partial to full shade.
Mexican Heather - seemed to do really well; suspect it will come back
Couldn't find this one, either, but I suspect that something from Mexico
might appreciate a NC summer. That it did well would make me think that
you *didn't* have a drainage problem.
Tiger Lilies
Again, "Tiger Lilies" didn't come up on thehttp://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/searchbut if you
have the scientific name, perhaps you can look it up, but I thought (but I
could be wrong) that all lilies liked things a bit on the damp side.
"Jim Crockett" Boltonio
Bombed out on that one, too. If you have the scientific name you might be
able to find it.
I'm wondering if heat and too much light didn't kill off a lot of your
flowers, not a drainage problem. Did you actually notice boggy soil?
Collected water?
One thing I'm currently learning about clay soil (I'm in Indiana and we
have it, too) is that plants may grow fine in their from-the-nursery matrix
or in an above ground bed, but when they hit that clay, they haven't
developed the strong roots necessary to go through it. Their roots not
having anywhere to go would also concern me if you had several inches of
gravel in the bottom of the bed, too.
The only other thing I can think of is that maybe the bricks generated a
bit too much heat to the plant roots.
Where did you get the plants? Was it from a nursery? Do they have a
warranty on their plants? Some do. If you take back the dead plants, you
might get new ones. If you haven't pulled out the plants yet though, you
might want to give them a chance to come to life again. You never know...
it might happen. 
Thanks again
Well, I don't know how much help that was but it was fun looking them up
for you and trying to brainstorm with you a bit.
Well that certainly provides me with a lot of information, and far
more than I could have collected in that amount of time, since I don't
really know where to look. That gives us something to work with going
forward into this year. I don't have the ironclad solution I was
hoping for, but I guess in gardening there seldom is. Thanks for all
your work; good luck with your Indiana soil!
Oh, the plants were from a big box store (Lowes) and they have 1 year
warranties, so we'll be doing some digging over the next couple weeks.
They said that with a receipt, which we kept, they'd take back just
about anything - down to a pile of dirt.
Why not try a little experiment.
Water your planter and get it pretty wet (about what these plants
would
probably get per week.) Then see how long it takes to dry off. Is it
still
wet and soggy? Then dig down to the bottom and check it also Check
again after a few days, a week. Is is really wet on the bottom, but
dry on
the top ? That should give you some idea of what's going on.
Then do check the root balls. Did they grow at all? Rot away?
The best way to find out what's going on is to observe your own plants
(not what mine do in CA grin)
Emilie