My review of this past season's plant pics continues, and today I am focusing on two plants that I have found to be maddening the last few years.
In theory, both of these plants should thrive in my wet, clay soil and both have proven to be deer resistant. But, for reasons unknown, they have yet to perform to my modest expectations. And by modest, I'm talking one successful, clean bloom that I can ogle at, even for a day.
First off, we have Chelone glabra or as I like to call it, White turtlehead. I purchased a bunch of these at a native plant sale a few years back banking on the fact that I could stick them in the ground and forget about them.
Well, not so much.
Each year to date, this native perennial looks healthy all through the late spring and into summer and I get all sorts of fired up when the numerous buds begin to form:
Only to have it all fall apart literally, overnight:
It has gone down this same path every year and I am still no closer to determining why. I had been keeping these in full sun so to mix it up a bit, I moved a few to a more "partial shade" area last fall. We'll see if that has any impact.
Plant #2 is an ornamental grass that excited me like no other when I first read about it. The leaf color on Panicum (Switch Grass) 'Ruby Ribbons' looked fantastic and I figured "Hey, it's a swtich grass, those always work for me."
To date, the leaf color has been phenomenal as promised:
But it has never really bloomed in three years and hasn't reached a height taller than maybe 18 inches. I had moved it a bit early on so I'm sure that played a role in it, but I have left it alone for two years now.
Here's hoping year three is the lucky one.
Anyone have any feedback on either of these? I'm willing to try anything.
John
