If your garden soil is not acidic enough for pieris or you want some pots of colour on your patio in spring, then growing pieris Forest Flame in a container is for you. This article also applies to the many other varieties of pieris that are compact enough to grow in a large pot. Pieris varieties for containers Start by looking at the varieties of dwarf and compact pieris that are available. However, as this is a slow-growing shrub, some…
The pieris plant isn’t too difficult to look after if you take time to understand and follow through on its location, soil, and sunlight needs. However, even in the most cared for gardens, pieris plant problems do occur. With pieris shrubs, they’re usually related to pests, disease and how you’re caring for the plant. Pests At some point you’ll probably come across the pieris lacebug – named after the shrub. It survives by sucking out the sap from the leaves….
Pieris Forest Flame, along with most of the other pieris varieties, needs nutrients to produce enough energy to develop properly. Ensuring this starts with the soil you initially plant it in. It continues on to what you feed the plant during the year. The short answer is Pieris need an acidic feed and ericaceous compost. What soil is best for pieris? All pieris plants thrive in acidic soil. And that’s soil that’s heavily acidic, not close to a neutral pH….
To find out why your pieris is losing its leaves, you need to do some detective work. The most usual causes of pieris leaf loss are pests, disease, lack of nutrients/alkaline soil, and sunlight. Pests The main bug that’s going to cause your pieris to lose its leaves is the Pieris Lacebug. This is a winged insect that’s named after the pieris shrub as it usually feeds on that. (Well, it does hang out on rhododendrons a bit too.) Look…
The best way to propagate choisya is by taking semi-hardwood cutting. The best time to take cuttings from choisya’s is around the end of summer. Wait for the new growth on the plant to become firm at the base and still flexible at the top. This softwood is where you take your cuttings from. Preparation Water the choisya plant the day before so that it’s well hydrated. As always when taking cuttings, prepare everything ahead of time. First of all,…
Choisya, aka Mexican orange blossoms, are hardy plants and aren’t affected by many pests and diseases. However, the few that are their enemies may be the reason your leaves are drooping and turning yellow. Also causing this may be a poor growing environment of soil, water, nutrients and sunlight. If it’s not pests causing wilting and yellowing leaves the next most likely cause is actually poor drainage as choisya don’t like getting their feet wet. More on this below. Poor…
I’ve already covered the reasons why choisya leaves may become yellow and droop in Why are my choisya leaves drooping and turning yellow? However, if your Mexican orange blossom plant is in much worse condition than that, you may be right that it’s dying. Please also read my Choisya pests and diseases article as some of the issues discussed there could also result in the plant dying. So, if you’ve ruled out pests, diseases, growing environment, nutrients, watering and sunlight,…
Here are the essential things to know about how to grow choisya shrubs successfully also known as the Mexican orange blossom. Choisya are hardy evergreen plants that don’t require much maintenance. Just spend some time to get their initial placement and care right. You’ll be rewarded with many blooms and leaves in spring and often again in autumn. Why do I love choisya shrubs? Also known as the Mexican orange blossom, the choisya plant has evergreen foliage throughout the year….
Growing a magnolia tree is quite simple and straightforward. Some differences occur as to whether you have a deciduous magnolia tree such as Magnolia Stellata or Susan(most common) or an evergreen one such as Magnolia sieboldii. However, the most important things to know about are the types of soil they need, choosing the best location, and watering, nutrient needs as well as pruning as this can cause magnolias not to flower if done incorrectly. And that the best time to…
To find out what’s attacking and eating your magnolia plants, you need to get down and close up to the leaves themselves. Maybe even with a magnifying glass. Actually, it’s a good idea to make a point of doing this regularly so you can deal with any bug infestation as soon as it starts. It’s much easier to tackle an infestation while it is small and they have caused limited damage. Here are some of the most common culprits that…