How to get your sodden flowers blooming again (From Worcester News)

How to get your sodden flowers blooming again

10:17am Tuesday 17th July 2007 in

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The terrible weather we've been having has already taken its toll on patio pots, hanging baskets and containers which have ended up looking as bedraggled as their owners.

Pelargoniums which I planted earlier in the year in preparation for a long, hot summer, look particularly sorry for themselves, their leaves going yellow through too much water and the flowers rotting quickly.

Other bedding plants which suffer in consistently wet weather include petunias, whose flowers turn brown and soggy, while slugs and snails, encouraged by the frequent downpours, have seen off my dahlias, as slug pellets have been washed away and beer traps haven't proved as effective as I'd hoped.

So, is there any way to revive summer containers caught by sudden downpours, so that they can still produce an abundance of blooms later on in the season when, hopefully, the sun may come out?

With a little TLC most plants can be revived, says Helen Bostock, horticultural adviser at the RHS garden in Wisley.

"Try to remove anything beyond redemption," she says.

"If you have shoots or leaves which are split or bent or tattered with the heavy rain and strong winds, cut them off before the plant becomes vulnerable to diseases such as grey mould (botrytis). Pick off all damaged tissue.

"Once you have done that, try to get the plants back on track by giving them a good liquid feed which will be absorbed quickly. You are trying to stimulate both root development and flowering growth."

Don't be over-zealous with the feed, though, or you could do more damage if potassium levels go too high and block other nutrients such as magnesium and iron from getting to the plant. Symptoms of over-feeding include yellowing foliage.

"Following the manufacturer's instructions and if you haven't got any then a general rule of thumb is to feed the plants every seven to 10 days," she adds.

Check that your pots are free-draining and if you've put them in saucers don't let them sit in water or the roots of the plants will rot.

Move your pots on to feet or a stand which allows the water to drain through and do the same if you have been sitting your pots on a flat surface like a patio stone.

This is especially important when you have removed a lot of damaged foliage from a plant, because leaves get rid of water through the root system. If the leaves are damaged they won't be using up as much water as they would if they were in top condition.

Plants which are particularly vulnerable in wet, windy weather include geraniums, which favour drought conditions, and petunias whose fleshy leaves are prone to grey mould in consistently wet weather.

"More upright and open plants such as diascias and snapdragons are likely to be less affected," says Helen.

If you have busy Lizzies and begonias, clear out rotting foliage from within the centre of the plants. Gazanias are also likely to suffer because they hate water when it gets into the crown of the plant.

Snip off long-stemmed flowers at the base of the stem rather than just at the flower head.

Make sure the compost isn't sitting too high on the crown of the plants and top the pots with a handful of gravel or grit to allow free drainage.

"If you promote active growth, the flowering will come," says Helen. "The clearing out has to be thorough. It might look really awful at first but leave on the healthy foliage, even though the rest of the plant seems to be struggling.

"There should be no hard pruning and no pinching out at this stage until it shows some sign of recovery."

Grey-leaved plants are likely to suffer in the wet, while subtropical varieties such as brugmansias love water, as long as you keep them out of the wind.

Cannas and dahlias should also withstand the wet weather, although they shouldn't be sitting in the wet, while coleus should also look extremely lush after several good downpours, in a sheltered spot.

If the weather stabilises and the storms and wind subside, plants can recover in as little as two to three weeks, says Helen... still in time for summer.