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anita55_gw

tiny shrub

anita55
14 years ago

hello i just received a mail order shrub (Daphne Burkwoodii Silveredge). It is quite tiny, maybe three inches tall and I"m not sure how to plant it correctly. Can you help me? thanks.

Comments (12)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    14 years ago

    arrowhead ????

    whats the problem.. roots down.. top up ... lol ...

    if it were me.. i would mix 50% potting media and 50
    % mini chunks ... into a one gallon pot.. and stick it near the house on the north side.. and grow it out for this summer .... and then plant it in fall.. for fear of forgetting about this monster .... lol ..

    if you have a spot for it ... i would prep the native soil .... unpot and remove a majority of the potting media ... and plant it at the same height it was in the pot .... and tamp it all down firmly.. so it doest sink later in the season ...

    and then i would get two 5 foots posts.. and bam them in the ground a foot or two away.. so i didnt step on the darn thing for a year or two ....

    mulch them PROPERLY ... and water them PROPERLY ... ask if you dont know what either means ....

    i got the same a few years back, late in the season .. and planted them directly into the ground in fall ...and they have done surprisingly well .... each being about 1.5 feet tall since ...

    any help??? .. besides the ribbing , of course ... lol

    good luck

    ken

    ps: if you have clay.. my answer might change ...

    pps: i lost one at the old house with great soil ... here in bare mineral sand [high drainage] .... i now have 6 ... perhaps someone can tell you what kind of soil and drainage they like [where is mr maine?]

  • anita55
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yeah thanks Ken, no clay here. I may have to mark off the area distinctly so I can see it. It's an area that won't be walked over or disturbed so maybe it will be okay. I hope so.

  • anita55
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi again, well I did put the daphne into a pot and it is on the north side of the house, gets some sun, but not too much. It is alive but I see nothing of new growth on it. Should I expect this plant to grow very slowly or is there something that I am not doing for it that it needs? It's in a pot of part potting soil and part native soil. I haven't fed it and it hasn't been disturbed since I put it there back in April. Suggestions? Advice? thanks.

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    13 years ago

    The 'part native soil' will doom the plant eventually, likely why you see nothing happening. Surely it is a slow grower, as the catalogue description likely said. Repot with all potting soil and mix in ~ 1/3 small bark chips from the consumer product supplier where you purchase the consumer potting soil.

    Dan

  • anita55
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi Dan, I can do that but what happens when I want to put it in the ground eventually?

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    13 years ago

    Plant properly and provide excellent drainage. Not good, Anita, excellent.

    Dan

  • anita55
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hoping to get more input on this little shrub.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Anita,
    Are you going to plant it now?
    If it is still in half native soil and half potting soil, you simply VERY gently rinse the roots off before replanting it in the spot you want to permenantly plant it in the ground.
    See, planting in a pot you use inorganic potting soil. This soil is especially made for a plant that is going to live in a pot. It is not like soil in your yard.
    Soil in your yard is totally different than potting soil.
    If you mix them, it will affect the way water drains out of it.
    Daphnes need excellent drainage, so mixing the 2 is really not good for your little Daphne.
    After you very gently wash the roots off,(make sure the soil you are planting it into drains water really fast.
    If it doesn't, buy some sand and throughly mix it into the soil at the planting site. The water must drain into the soil very good for this plant), gently plant in your fast draining garden soil in the yard and mulch but not up to the stem.
    Good Luck with your new baby.
    I hope it doesn't die on you.
    If it does, just buy another one, only bigger this time.
    LOL

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    Instead of digging in sand buy some good topsoil and dump that on top of the ground, plant in that without mixing it with other soil.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Myth of Soil Amendments Part II: If you have a clay soil, add sand to improve its texture

  • flora_uk
    13 years ago

    Anita - I wouldn't bother to wash the roots off. I never understand why people recommend that if there is no reason such as disease or pests. That just makes the poor roots start all over again establishing their feeding in the surrounding soil. To me the trick of transplanting is not to let the plant know it's been moved by causing it the least possible disturbance. I would just tip the shrub from the pot, tease out the roots a bit and plant it into its hole at the same depth. The shrub is so tiny that I can't believe the small amount of compost adhering to its roots would make any difference at all to the drainage of the surrounding soil.

    The video might be useful. The only proviso is the time of year which might be different in some parts of the US.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Shrub planting video

  • anita55
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    It is in a pot with all potting soil and some chips on the bottom. It is only about 3 or 4 inches tall. I'm afraid if I put it in the ground it will be lost over the winter.

    Butterfly this was the ONLY Daphne silveredge I could find. If anyone can tell me where to buy a larger one I would buy it right now. thanks.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Anita,
    Since you didn't mix your potting soil with native dirt from your garden, just leave it in the pot.
    Dig a hole up next to your home, put the pot in it, and in the cold of winter, mulch it real good so it doesn't freeze.
    Then next spring, just replant it in the garden where you want it.
    As long as the soil isn't mixed, your fine.
    It should survive over the winter with mulch.
    It's important you dig a hole and place the pot in the hole though, helps with drainage and keeping the plant warmer.
    Good Luck!
    Hope she blooms for you next spring.