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Edgeworthia chrysantha?

mayland
15 years ago

For those growing edgeworthia, do you have flowers yet?

Mine has some large buds, on only one of which a couple of the tiny yellow flowers started to open a couple of weeks ago. But they seem to have stalled since then, and no more flowers look ready to open yet.

Also, a few of the flower buds have a grey/black-ish area through them, which looks rather like mould to me.

I'm very disappointed, I have been so excited about my paperbush flowering for weeks now, and it doesnt look like it will make it!

Mine is in part-shade on a hillside, planted fairly high (planted like Daphne/rhodies).

Does anyone think fertilizer might help? I don't usually fertilize anything...but i'd love this to flower!

Does anyone have an edgeworthia that does well? Any suggestions welcome...

Comments (11)

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    Well, I typed a previous long response, but IE7 took a dump, so here's the short version.

    I have 3 on a hillside, approx 20º gradient, one at top, one 25% down, one 50% down surrounded by ferns. All are in evening-shade-only spots, 2-3 hours max, but the topmost gets full shade.

    4-5 weeks ago, we had a warmup where things went up to 60-70º overnight. All 3 of my plants bloomed and smelled lovely for half a block. 2-3 days later it got cold again. All smell stopped. Some petals fell. Buds still there. Can still smell them if right on top of em.

    With this current warmup, we will see if they start blooming again. But I think the cold-warm-cold snap got 'em.

  • mayland
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    thanks, Satellitehead. Sounds like I just need to be more patient. A couple of the buds still look healthy, so I still have hope that they'll bloom with the warm weather coming up!

    Lots of the buds have a mouldy-look, though, so I guess those will just die off.

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    half of mine are wilted at this point. i think the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw really did a number on them. i pulled all the chickweed and whatnot out of my beds this past weekend and was working all around them; couldn't smell a thing :(

  • mayland
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    At least Edgeworthia has nice foliage to look forward to ;)

    My winter Daphne is flowering now and is very fragrant, so I have something to smell while I'm out there.

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    we went to Pike Lindbergh, and they shyed us away from Daphne Odora, although we wanted to plant it. meh. too much sun in that spot. I really like it, though! which daphne do you have?

  • mayland
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I have a Daphne odora Aureomarginata. I got it only a few weeks ago (from Pike i think). I had one before in our last house (only a couple of miles away) and it did really well there. Mine is in a part-shade area. I planted it high like you would do a rhododendron.

    I also have a Daphne transatlantica Summer Ice that I got from Bluestone's sale last May. It was tiny then and is still tiny now...hope it grows a bit this year.

    Here is my disappointing Edgeworthia:

    With its mouldy buds:

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    i will snap some shots of mine over the weekend and share. i don't think any of mine have really molded, but we shall see. mine bloomed very well three years ago, but the last two years have been gradually worse.

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    Ok, here you go mayland - the first three pictures are the full-shade plant at the top of our gradient, the middle three are the 90% shade at 1/4 from top of the gradient, the last two photos are the part-sun plant that sits at about half-gradient.

    note: a single plant has BOTH good flowers AND molded buds. the full-shade plant has the best buds right now, and is average growth. the most-shade plant has the worst, and is the smallest growth. the mid-gradient/part-sun plant is the largest plant, and has a ~60/40 mix of good buds vs moldy buds.

    pics:

    Top incline/full shade

    3/4 incline, max 1hr evening sun,

    Mid-incline,
    couple hours evening sun:

  • mayland
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    SH, thank you for posting your pics, I really appreciate it. Yours are way ahead of mine! I wonder why you have such a difference though between your full-shade and mostly-shade plants though -- doesnt sound like a big difference in the amount of sun they get.

    My plant is in part shade (gets some morning sun). I planted it last summer (i bought it at Perennial Grace's liquidation sale), so I am wondering if its just too young to have many flowers. Maybe next year...sigh!

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    based on what i'm seeing, even my smallest plant is 3x as big as yours. my larger ones are 5x-6x bigger. this could explain the quantity.

    i noticed they were putting out scent again just before the rain last night! but i'm betting the rain and wind and cold has probably robbed them of it YET AGAIN today! guess mother nature just doesn't want me to enjoy.

    good thing my nanking cherries only had two flowers pop. last year, they bloomed only to get hit by a cold snap the next day, so between bloom to drop, they were open 48hrs tops. sucks!!

  • satellitehead
    15 years ago

    welp, my plants have been smelling great the last couple of days, but now that this cold snap is coming tonight, i am betting it's going to kill off the buds.

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