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david883_gw

campanula freya... not looking good

david883
10 years ago

This picture was taken about a week ago... its blooming now but still looks about the same. It just doesn't look so hot. I'm wondering what the problem might be. It gets about 6 hours of sun each day but its not exactly direct. Anybody have any ideas as to what could be wrong here?

Comments (18)

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    10 years ago

    I don't quite understand how it could get 6 hours of sun, but it isn't direct sun? Are you saying it's partially shaded? If so, that's probably the problem. To me it looks like too much shade.

    Kevin

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I guess I said that wrong... yes, it gets some shade periodically. I was afraid it'd be too much shade. Is it too late in the season to move it to a sunnier location? I seem to remember reading campanulas can be temperamental when being transplanted. But... I don't want to loose it, due to lack of sun, waiting until fall.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    10 years ago

    If it were in my garden with the cool spring we've been having I think I might risk moving it now, but I don't know what kind of weather you're experiencing. If you do move it, cut it back. Those floppy stems won't go upright even if you move it to more sun.

    Or you could just wait until early fall or even next spring. It won't die even though it isn't getting enough sun.

    Kevin

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hm... I'll have to contemplate it for a bit... I just looked at some weather history and we've both had similar weather. I might move it in the next day or two while its in the low 70s before it hits 80s later this week. I don't mind the look of the flop this year as long as it can recover in proper lighting for next year. Plus... I only have one upright stem so cutting it back would be too depressing ha ha. It looked great for a few days so I didn't pay much attention to it after... wish I would have now

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Contemplation didn't take as long as I thought... I just moved it this morning. HOpefully the new spot is a little sunnier. It'll get shaded from morning sun by some heliopsis (I love them to death but the great shader in this area!) but once it hits noon-ish it should get afternoon sun until later in the afternoon/early evening. Thanks for the advise Kevin. Much appreciated. I'll hopefully have properly growing and structure campanula pictures to post at least next season :)

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    10 years ago

    'david', I am wondering how your Freya is faring now (or is it too soon to tell)?

    I have 3 that I planted in the spring of 2012 and all 3 are starting to come into their own right now. Here is one of them.

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for checking in. Didn't see it until just now but perfect timing. I was just out today (its been raining non-stop here for days) and once I saw it I thought "I better ask on this..."

    I think it looks worse... I'm worried its still not getting enough sun but I'm not sure why its taken such a wrong turn. I think the problem is, before the deck and trees caused some of the shading. Now, its the heliopsis. If it will last the summer I am hoping to rearrange this garden so that it can get more sun, otherwise I will move it to a much sunnier location (I just wanted to keep it in this area so bad!)

    Yours is beautiful! I'm so jealous! I hope this one will make it long enough that it can get to that point.

    Any suggestions anyone has would be appreciated!

  • Marie Tulin
    10 years ago

    My opinion is that you have nothing to lose by cutting it back to the basal leaves. It is so leggy and weak t will never stand upright;any new top growth will just lie down with the rest.

    In more sun, the new stems may be pushed right out. It's quite possible it will have late bloom, limited blooms or none at all this year. But if develops a good root system and some top growth it could be just fine next year.
    With the vagaries of weather and light, this experience is not uncommon for gardeners.Give it a season.

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I will try that. Thanks, idabean. It actually did bloom. Not a whole lot but they were nice. I'll cut it back some and see how it does. Like I said, I think come fall I'm going to rearrange this garden. It didn't quite turn out how I wanted and after having to move some things around I think it needs some fixing up

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    10 years ago

    'david', "Freya" can be a beautiful plant but given the rain we are having this year it is such a flopper (when laden with blooms)

    I took this picture one day after a steady downpour.

    (I have made a note to possibly place a hoop around each plant next spring.)

  • david883
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Rouge, I did chop mine back and more leaves are springing up and flourishing. I know what you mean though... I have a valerian that is about 5-6ft tall now (only two years old) and it is totally flopping from all this rain. Thanks for the confidence-reinforcing photo! I'm going to rearrange the garden this is in once fall comes so it has more ideal sun light.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    9 years ago

    Exactly one year later and my once wonderful 'Freya' is again mostly flat on its back. I do find this
    bothersome.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    9 years ago

    And what happened to your note to put a hoop around it ? (cough, cough)

    I think my Sarastro would have done the same thing had I not staked it before it bloomed. In fact, I know it would have. It toppled the year before when I didn't stake it in time.

    I really hate the idea of hoops and stakes and all that and try to keep my plants that need that kind of messing around with to a minimum, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do it if you want to grow a particular something.

    Kevin

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    9 years ago

    I really hate the idea of hoops and stakes and all that

    For sure me also.

    I hadn't forgotten about the hoop but just kept postponing doing it and given I have 3 of these Freya as part of this border I should really need to support all of them. But given they are right at the front next to lawn, with foliage not nearly as high as the flower stalks I am thinking the hoops would be relatively (too) visible.

    And in addition I am not really thrilled with the 2 heuchera ("Solar Eclipse") which alternate with the Freya. They are very healthy but the usually wonderful colours of this heuchera are rather kind of washed out in this mostly sun location. I may rethink this border over the winter.

    (And if 'david' is around...how is your "Freya" doing?)

    This post was edited by rouge21 on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 17:31

  • david883
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Mine did GREAT this year. I think the sunnier spot in the bed helped. However, once it bloomed... first heavy down pour and this thing was mimicking and pancake. Some stem perked back up but it mostly looks like your photo from earlier today. This picture was from a few weeks ago (before "THE FLOP").
    I probably wont be staking it at this point (I've got heliopsis, daisies and valerian all flopping and a butterfly bush that wont grow so the whole place is just a mess at this point). I'm wondering if pinching it back a little in very early spring will help (though the damn heliopsis and daisies just laughed at me when I did that).

    Either way, I love it so I can't imagine removing it. But when I was at work and it started down pouring all I thought was "that freya is gonna look a mes later!". Such is gardening, I suppose.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    9 years ago

    "I am thinking the hoops would be relatively (too) visible."

    After I wrote what I wrote, I kind of came to the same conclusion. This may be a difficult plant to support in an attractive manner because the foliage is kind of sparse.

    You might want to try the very narrow, green bamboo stakes very close to the edge of the plant with some sort of garden twine around and through the plant. That's what I did with my Sarastro and from a few feet away you couldn't really tell it was there. I don't know. You might have to experiment a bit.

    Kevin

  • southerngardening24
    9 years ago

    Those bamboo stakes have become my best friend!

    David, I have some plants that aren't doing too well because I moved/ planted them too late in the season but after seing your current picture, I am hoping they will be ok next spring if they don't straighten up before the end of this season.

    My gardens didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted either. I have tall plants around the front and shorter plants in the middle. It's a bit of a mess to me but everyone who visits says it looks beautiful.

    Since this is only my second year gardening, I really am kind of doing a test run, watching how everything grows, taking lots of pics and next year I can rearrange.

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago

    My two plants are in rather lean soil and both are short and compact with seemingly strong stems ... by the looks of it, I won't be feeding this plant too much either. The photo was taken in the evening light, it's quite a beautiful little plant.

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