| I'm a first time perennial gardener. Some of my plants did beautifully, but the beebalm did not even get a blossom and the lavender had blossoms that only opened one at a time. I fertilized with Miracle Grow & the plants were in partial to full sun.What should I do? |
| There are quite a few reasons why this can occur. Did you perhaps plant these later than the others and they didn't have time to "catch-up"? I planted Monarda (Beebalm) late in the season and it didn't bloom until almost the end of August. Is there a possibility you over fertilized? Sometimes when too much fertililzer is applied plants can take in a lot of nitrogen which results in a lot of foliage but not much bloom. Miracle-Gro is a good product, but for perennials, especially new plantings, I prefer a extended- release, low-impact fertilizer such as "Once". As the name implies, it's only applied once per season. It is widely available at retail stores and garden centers. Jackson & Perkins (www.jackson-perkins.com; ph# ) also carries it. Could disease be a problem? Both of these plants are susceptible to powdery mildew, rust, and other fungi, and both demand impeccable air circulation to avoid disease. Lavender does best in a more arid climates. I've never grown it successfully due to our humid summers. |
