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another prostanthera question
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Posted by aeor nsw (My Page) on Mon, Oct 9, 06 at 18:54
The prostanthera rotundifolias I planted last spring have been dissapointing flowerers. All have had only occasional flowers. I have other prostanthera which have put on a great show but the rotundifolias have not. They are all in similar situations but different areas. Dappled shade, some in more moist situations than others. Some with more sun. Nearly all however have had little sun over winter. They were not huge when I put them in, but I gave them a pretty good prune and they grew more than double in size, they look otherwise healthy.
Could it be not enough sun? The other prostanthera's had similar sun and flowered prolifically.
Any ideas?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: another prostanthera question
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| A, Wrigley & Fagg in their Australian Native Plants books suggest near to full sun. It's possible too much shade is the reason they're not flowering, but you can't do much where you have them except maybe move them to a sunny position. |
RE: another prostanthera question
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- Posted by aeor nsw (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 10, 06 at 8:11
D
I feel now you are right. I think I should give them away to a good sunny home. Curse the shade - if only I had sun, sun, sun, sun!!! I could be so much more of a gardener ............. grrrrr |
RE: another prostanthera question
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- Posted by pos02 NSW Aust (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 10, 06 at 18:41
| May I suggest taking a walk through the bush. You will find more shade than sun in the undergrowth. It is true that most plants will flower better in full sun, but this brings on other problems, especially water! You just need to create a garden suited to that particular aspect. I started to do this a couple of years ago, and the garden is looking really good. Perhaps create a bush undergrowth garden, with plants growing into each other. That way you are not relying entirely on the flowers, and there will be much more of them from the different plants anyway. |
RE: another prostanthera question
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| The only time I saw P. rotundifolia in the wild was in a quite cold area near the very head of the Murray River; flowering profusely in mid-October, under partial shade of eucalypts. We also had it growing in the northern Blue Mountains at 900 m altitude, where it flowered well for many years, also beneath a huge old eucalypt. Could it be that it prefers the mountains? (at least at latitudes towards Sydney or northward) |
RE: another prostanthera question
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| A, they usually grow in the shade. Aroung Marysville they grow as an understorey plant. I have them in the garden as well and some of them get the sun but I assiduously prune them quite hard immediately after flowering. Maybe your pruning was too late and you may have removed all of the flower initials and the plant hasn't had enough time to recover? |
RE: another prostanthera question
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- Posted by aeor nsw (My Page) on
Wed, Oct 11, 06 at 4:27
| I was thinking something similar Lomatia and today pruned them all back aggressively (smelt so good) and gave them some fertilser. After all they were only in for one season. When I look up in my garden all I see are gum trees. Some of my suburban block wasn't cleared (in the 70's) of natural bush, and I'm trying to regenerate the natural feel of what was there before in the parts that were planted out by previous owners with agapanthas, privet (small and large leaf), jasmine (the really weedy one), asparagus fern, and lantanta. I'm not kidding. I've taken all of the latter out and the good news is I have several beautiful old grass trees that seem to be self seeding and spreading - do they do that? ie there are tiny tiny ones, middle size and big trees too. Thanks for the suggestions A |
RE: another prostanthera question
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 13, 06 at 16:48
| My experience with Prostanthera rotundifolia here in California is that it will bloom well in bright shade, but not deep shade. It also does very well and blooms even more in full sun here, which is a coastal influenced mediterannean climate, much cooler in summer than Perth or Adelaide, but warmer than Tasmania. It sounds to me as if the plants are in too much shade in late fall when they are setting buds for flowering. Perhaps the other situations mentioned are actually getting some low angle sun below the trees, that plantings on the wintered shaded side of the house do not... |
RE: another prostanthera question
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Aeor(pronunciation?),
I had the same experience witha rotundifolia. A 6" pot into the ground didn't flower properly for the first 4 years, from memory. It then had a great flowering. I subsequently let it get a bit too dry and it carked it! Life's too short for me to stick another one in and wait... |
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