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| My Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' just gets bigger and bigger (currently 8' in diameter), but had almost no flowers this year (you can see the occasional seedpod, about 4). Any ideas what's going on? Give it phosphorus? I really don't want it to get bigger! I already have to move the daylilies and salvia. |
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| Sheesh, that is insanely huge. I have this cultivar and have to say, it thrives with the most grim sandy soil, no water ever and blazing sun (I suspect the all day sun is the key issue although English sun is laughably meek compared to say, Texan sun.). I have a palin B.australis which gets less sun because a bloody great spindle tree hovers over it.....although it just looks feeble (and largely flowerless) without any of that lush growth yours gets - do you feed it? |
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| Typically lush growth and few flowers means too much nitrogen. Have you tested your soil? |
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- Posted by luckyladyslipper MA 5b-6a (My Page) on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 18:52
| I have not fed it other than the lobster-compost I bought in bags when I prepared this garden in 2006. I planted this Baptisia in 2007, and moved it in 2010. I have added only free (fresh) wood chips from our town DPW as a mulch, and they are supposed to ROB a garden of nitrogen. simcam, I have never had my soil tested, but this may be a good time to start! |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a N CT (My Page) on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 20:27
| Not meaning to rub your nose in it luckyladyslipper but all of my Baptisias bloomed heavily this year. My soil is slightly acidic sandy loam. All mine are growing in full sun. According to one of my books, Perennials For Every Purpose by Larry Hodgson: '...these plants even supply their own fertilizer. They're legumes so they develop their own colonies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots.' Check out the site below for additional information. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden
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- Posted by luckyladyslipper MA 5b-6a (My Page) on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 22:20
| Well, this guy has fixed his nitrogen, for sure! I could do with less bush, and more flower. I had checked Missouri Botanical Garden, too. They actually have an entry for 'Purple Smoke' - but it sheds no light on my problems. I guess I'll go with my gut and scratch in some superphosphate. |
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| They highly resent moving, but it should have recovered by now from 2010. I have noticed the same clumps don't necessarily flower heavily each year in the wild in Oklahoma, but I think you likely have an environmental condition, so try superphosphate and see for next year. Good luck! |
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