"Cat(h)" wrote in message
ups.com...
Talking about my gunnera fad in another thread put in my mind some of
the unsuccessful trials in my garden.
One of those is a couple of Pieris forest flames, which I see so many
glorious ones in gardens around the place, and which in my garden are
making unconvincing efforts at not dying completely.
Am I right to suspect that Pieris needs ericaceous compost? If I were
to dig them up, dig a large hole full of the stuff, would they
potentially recover, and perform better?

Another subject of wonder is a hypericum I planted three years ago -
the very first plant I planted in my new garden. It goes through
alternate periods of intense growth, producing lots of shoots with lots
of new greenery - reddish greenery - then looking for all the world as
if somethign was burning it.
I first thought that I had dug some too fresh manure in the ground,
that that was what was burning it. But everything else in that patch
is just thriving - with the exception of one sorry gunnera.

Any thought?
TIA

Cat(h)

Missed the other question.

Yes Pieris likes acid soil. Either pot it up in ericaceous compost or grow
it in a raised bed with ericaceous stuff. Run off from the surrounding
alkaline soil will eventually buga up the acid material unless you happen to
be able to plant the thing on top of a hill:-)

What's wrong with your Gunnera? Which particular one do you have?

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
Missed the other question.

Yes Pieris likes acid soil. Either pot it up in ericaceous compost or grow
it in a raised bed with ericaceous stuff. Run off from the surrounding
alkaline soil will eventually buga up the acid material unless you happen to
be able to plant the thing on top of a hill:-)

Ok, thanks for that and for your other answer. I shall take action and
get a couple of large pots for my pierises who will in future reside on
the patio.


What's wrong with your Gunnera? Which particular one do you have?

Gunnera Manicata. What's wrong is that I bought it because I loved it
in a proper environment (moist, boggy soil, semi-shady location), which
I do not have to give it in my garden. At least that's what I believe.
It is growing away, and though I bought it in a 3 l pot or so with a
single bud, it now has at least 4 if not 5 of them. However, its
leaves do not get any bigger than about 40 cm across, do not soar up
much higher than 70 or 80 cm, and seem to dry out from the outside in
in the middle of summer. It just screams "I need a lot more water" -
Seen as I only got an outside tap installed in recent months, I can now
give it the odd treat of a bit of a soak - It might just do a little
better this year?
I just think I planted the wrong plant in my garden. But I am rather
stupidly sentimentally attached to it :-)

Cat(h)

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
ups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
Missed the other question.

Yes Pieris likes acid soil. Either pot it up in ericaceous compost or
grow
it in a raised bed with ericaceous stuff. Run off from the surrounding
alkaline soil will eventually buga up the acid material unless you happen
to
be able to plant the thing on top of a hill:-)

Ok, thanks for that and for your other answer. I shall take action and
get a couple of large pots for my pierises who will in future reside on
the patio.


What's wrong with your Gunnera? Which particular one do you have?

Gunnera Manicata. What's wrong is that I bought it because I loved it
in a proper environment (moist, boggy soil, semi-shady location), which
I do not have to give it in my garden. At least that's what I believe.
It is growing away, and though I bought it in a 3 l pot or so with a
single bud, it now has at least 4 if not 5 of them. However, its
leaves do not get any bigger than about 40 cm across, do not soar up
much higher than 70 or 80 cm, and seem to dry out from the outside in
in the middle of summer. It just screams "I need a lot more water" -
Seen as I only got an outside tap installed in recent months, I can now
give it the odd treat of a bit of a soak - It might just do a little
better this year?
I just think I planted the wrong plant in my garden. But I am rather
stupidly sentimentally attached to it :-)

Cat(h)

When you are feeling energetic dig a deep and wide hole and line it with
polythene. Add loads of manure and replant the Gunnera. You will get a
bigger plant but not the biggest. Feed with chicken manure pellets.The roots
of Gunnera travel for miles in search of water:-)

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
When you are feeling energetic dig a deep and wide hole and line it with
polythene. Add loads of manure and replant the Gunnera. You will get a
bigger plant but not the biggest. Feed with chicken manure pellets.The roots
of Gunnera travel for miles in search of water:-)

That sounds like a constructive suggestion. Can I do this any time (as
in now, seen as I am in gardening mode), or should I wait for a period
when it is dormant?

Cat(h)

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
ups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
When you are feeling energetic dig a deep and wide hole and line it with
polythene. Add loads of manure and replant the Gunnera. You will get a
bigger plant but not the biggest. Feed with chicken manure pellets.The
roots
of Gunnera travel for miles in search of water:-)

That sounds like a constructive suggestion. Can I do this any time (as
in now, seen as I am in gardening mode), or should I wait for a period
when it is dormant?

Cat(h)

The ideal time to move most things is when they are dormant but
I am the Guy that moves just about anything at any time as I am always in
gardening mode. From your description the Gunnera is still fairly small so
it should not be difficult to move it with a reasonable amount of soil. It
may flop and sulk for a while but should recover and grow on strongly.
It is unlikely that you will kill it.