Hello, These plants are starting to die back now, but if the whole plant is already looking brown or dead, then it does seem a litle early. The thing that does spring to mind however is that these plants like a good amount of water, so if this browning happend quite suddenly, then it may have dried out.

Helen

Hello, The paniculata hydrangeas are always really late into leaf, so I would give it another month and wait and see what happens.

Helen

Hello there This Hydrangea paniculata should grow ok in any reasonably fertile, moist soil with good drainage, so your soil should be fine. Hope this helps

Hello there, There are many plants that might tempt you - here are some of my favourites:- Fatsia japonica http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/fatsia-japonica/classid.3840/ Rodgersia http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.rodgersia/cat.plants/ Heuchera http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.heuchera/cat.plants/ Hydrangea paniculata http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.hydrangea-paniculata/ Aucuba japonica http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/aucuba-japonica/classid.277/ Rosa rugosa Alba http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/roses/shrub-rose/hedging/bush-rose/hedging-rose/other-shrub-rose/rosa-rugosa-alba/classid.1148/ Cotoneaster http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.cotoneaster/ Buddleja http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.buddleja/ I hope this helps, Helen Plant Doctor

Crocus Helpdesk

Hello Margaret, it is rare to find larger sized Ceanothus as they are usually quite short-lived and don't normally live longer than 6 - 8 years. We do have a selection of larger shrubs on our site like Hamamelis, Hydrangeas, Magnolias, Acer, Cornus, Cotinus, Philadelphus, Syringa and Viburnum, so you may find something of interest. They will be listed in this section. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Crocus Helpdesk

Dear Helen Thank you so much for your prompt and helpful reply to my email about moving my Hydrangea. I will do as you say as I am very keen for it to survive! Thanks again Liz

Crocus Helpdesk

Hello Liz, The best time to move established shrubs is in the autumn when the soil is still warm but the plant isn't in full active growth - so now is perfect. Begin by marking a circle around the shrub, as wide as the widest branch. Dig a trench along the line of this circle. Use a fork to loosen the soil around the root ball as you go to reduce its size and weight so that it becomes manageable. When the root ball looks about the right size that you can still move it but there are still a lot of roots intact, begin to under cut the root ball with a sharp spade to sever the biggest woody roots. Roll up the root ball in sacking or plastic to protect the roots from damage and drying out. Move the shrub to a pre determined position. It is important to have the site ready so that you can transplant the shrub at once and it isn't left for hours (or worse!) drying out. Remove the sacking and plant the shrub in the new hole, at the depth at which it was previously planted. Firm well, water well and mulch with a good thick layer of well rotted farmyard manure. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

ldavidson

Hello Jean, It is possible to grow this in a large pot, provided it is kept well watered. It has an eventual height and spread of around 1.5m, but this will be reduced if it is kept in a pot. I'm afraid though I cannot be more precise as this will depend on the size of the pot and the growing conditions. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Crocus Helpdesk

Hello Helen, Thank you for your answer, now can you tell me what is the right size large pot I can use safely please...........Jean

Jean Weston

Hello again Jean, There are no hard and fast rules, so I would just get the biggest pot you can find. Best regards, Helen Plant Doctor

Crocus Helpdesk

Hello Sylvia, There are a number of reasons why plants don't flower, but the most likely cause of your problems are either a late frost killing off the buds, or it could be pruning at the wrong time of the year. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Crocus Helpdesk

Hello there, These are really troublesome pests, and there are no effective deterrents available (apart from getting a guard dog) which will be any help to you. They tend to prefer leaves and soft stems rather than flowers and woody stems, and they seem to prefer feeding in exposed positions and often nibble plants at the edge of borders. This habit can be used to the gardener's advantage by planting more valuable subjects in the centre of beds. In winter, when food is scarce, deciduous plants at the edge of beds will not interest rabbits, and will help protect winter flowers in the centre. Below is a list of flowering shrubs which they usually tend to leave alone. Buddleia davidii, Ceanothus Cistus Cotoneaster dammeri Deutzia Hebe Hypericum Hydrangea Mahonia aquifolium Potentilla fructicosa Rhododendron spp. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

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