On 2009-10-29 10:29:36 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-10-24 19:41:01 +0100, Janet Tweedy said:

In article , Sacha
writes

Isn't the received wisdom to tear off suckers rather than cut them
because cutting is like pruning to encourage growth? I think the idea
is that tearing off suckers (repeat, if necessary) weakens the bud from
which they grow.
Yes but in the case of course the stems of the suckers are almost
bigger than the stem on the proper plant!

Bit of a dilemma but it's a "what have you got to lose?" situation. You
can't let the suckers return continuously if you 'prune' them and you
can't let them stay there. OTOH, your friend could uproot the entire
plant, take it back to where she bought it and ask for her money back,
if it's not too late to do that.

But is it the nursery's fault if a purchaser allows suckers to grow?

All I can say is that we sell that plant. I checked today with one who
does the ordering and they're grafted. We've never had one complaint
about suckering that I'm aware of and nor was he. I'm wondering if
it's something to do with the grafting process - should the graft then
be treated in some way so that it doesn't sucker, or is this just an
unfortunate one-off. In any case, Wisley might be glad to know that
this has been a problem. If they're like Rosemoor, many of the plants
in the sales area are bought in, not grown by the garden themselves, so
they wouldn't know of the problem unless someone tells them. D.
carlesii don't need the struggle with suckers.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon