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First aid for dicentra exima?
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Posted by TaraRose z5/6 MO (My Page) on Thu, May 5, 05 at 11:37
| I've got this dicentra exima that I'm slowly torturing to death. It came back last year after I thought I'd killed it by breaking the stem off (horrible trowel accident, I'd rather not talk about it) and then I can't remember what happened to it. (I got married last year; I can't remember lots of things.) But much to my surprise, the poor thing has put up a leaf about the size of a nickel and a flower stalk that's maybe two inches high, complete with flowers. I have to admire its perseverance.
So I'm wondering, what can I do to help this poor thing build up some reserves this year? Should I fertilize it? Do they need lots of water? My bed is kind of dry. I'd really like to make up for past offenses by nursing this poor baby back to health.
TR |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: First aid for dicentra exima?
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| Make sure your baby is in good soil and keep it watered during dry spells and soon it'll have hundreds of offspring. Most flowers need about an inch of rain per week during the growing months. |
RE: First aid for dicentra exima?
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| You may add some organic matters around it (composted manure would be great) and water it. Next year you'll not recognise it. |
RE: First aid for dicentra exima?
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| I think the dicentras are hardier than they look. My husband didn't like mine and one day I came out to check on it, it was only an inch out of the ground but it was smushed to smitherenes. I asked my hubby (jokingly of course) if he ground it with his heel of his boot or just stomped on it in a jig-like-fashion and he apologized saying he didn't even see it...ya right! ;o) At any rate a few days later 3 more shoots came up out of the mush that looked more like rhubarb pie than a bleeding heart. A few days after that my 10 year old son was doing "TRICKS" on his skateboard on my cement patio (go figure) and fell off his board smack dab onto another bleeding heart. It too was smashed to mush and I was starting to think there is a conspiracy of the worst kind going on here. I was sure it was a gone'er but a few days later a shoot came up and now it's about 3" tall and with several branches. And then if that's not enough miracles, 2 of the Bleeding hearts that died last summer due to drought while we were on holidays came back and they are half a foot tall now. So all in all I have to say that even though it's kinda a "squishy" plant, it must be quite hardy in terms of having it's stalk squashed ;o) Barb
Southern Ontario |
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