On 2013-07-15 00:20:40 +0100, David Hill said:

On 14/07/2013 17:02, Janet wrote:
In article , david@abacus-
nurseries.co.uk says...

On 14/07/2013 15:40, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 14 Jul 2013 15:07:12 +0200, Contessa
wrote:


About a month ago I planted two of these. Both now seem dead as the
leaves are brown. Any hope or treatment for them?

IME ceanothus are not long-lived, but assuming it was newly bought
from a garden centre, it shouldn't have popped its clogs yet. The
weather has been dry over the last few weeks and is especially hot
ATM. Did you water it a) in its pot before you planted it b) when you
planted it and c) have you watered it since?

A way to see it it's still alive is to scratch the bark of a twig with
your thumbnail. If the wood just under the bark is green, it's still
alive. If not, try scratching another spot a bit further down the
stem.

It should have had a good soak in a bucket of water before planting then
every couple of days a good bucket of water in the evening for each
plant so that the water soaks down to the roots at the bottom.
Messing about with a watering can with a rose on it is the worst thing
that a person can do in this weather.

Another useful tip, is to dig the planting hole (set the soil aside)
then completely fill the hole with water. Wait until the water has all
soaked away then proceed with planting.

Janet

That does depend on your soil.
I saw that done in a new garden, the soil was almost pure clay and it
took a couple of days for the water to go.
I don't like planting into soggy soil. I'd leave it for a few hours
after soaking before planting, then I would water again using a bucket.

Another possibility is to put a length of pipe down into the soil
beside the newly planted shrub or tree and direct the hose through
that. If there's a lot of other mature planting in the area, it means
that the new plant gets the water direct to its roots and doesn't have
to share it with things that are fending for themselves. But I agree
that this is almost certainly lack of watering in hot weather. Usually,
we seem to be encouraging people not to over-water but it is a fact
that newly planted shrubs, trees, hedges all need a good deal of water
while establishing themselves and especially in dry weather.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk