I planted it this spring and it grew really well at first, although it didn't bloom. I have two in one bed that look like this, and I tried cutting one of them back to see if it would send up healthier new shoots (so far it hasn't worked). Nothing else in the bed with this plant appears to be unhealthy.
Here's another angle.
Here's the healthy one.
I think I see webbing on the close-up which means you have spidermites. Since I grow for butterflies,bees and hummers I don't like sprays so I use a grandulate systemic so I can just treat the effected plant and not napalm the entire bed with spray that can be carried by the wind.
Check the underside of the leaves...if you see webbing and tiny-tiny dots...you have spidermites.
Would the spider mites only stick to the one plant though? All the other plants in this bed are healthy; it's only the two cinquefoils that seem to be affected. I will go out and check the underside of the leaves; thanks for the suggestion.
I have a huge yard and it always surprises me how they'll be all over something while another plant next to it will be as clean as a whistle. Read that plants under stress are subject to spidermite infestations.
Peggy
... and seem to really like dry weather. So far, the plants that really get it my yard are my "May Night" salvia - as soon as the rain begins or I spray them down with water and a bit of dish washing soap, they seem to clear out.
I agree with BigRed. Looks like spider mite damage to me along with the webbing.
I did look closer and saw the webbing all over it. I sprayed it down really well with the hose, but do you think it's too late for this plant? :( I noticed it starting on the other plant several weeks ago and on this one a couple of weeks ago but have just been so busy with other things . . . I feel terrible for not doing anything about it until now and hope I didn't just give my poor plants unto their deaths!
My biggest suggestion is to clean up all the damaged leaves and throw them out. I have seen damage before and they can recover. Plants are resilient but make sure the plants that surround it are not harboring any more spider mites. The Bergenia should not be affected by the spider mites but the red flowering ?nicotiana? in the upper right of that 1st picture may need spraying also
I get spidermites every year. Looks horrible but I seldom loose plants. All my brugsmanias on the porch had them just a week ago. I picked off all the big leaves and sprinkled grandular systemic insecticde on the soil and now they're gone and new leaves are emerging.
I'd say your plants will recover with just a little attention - mine were *white* with the darn mites but that was last year and they're all happy this year.
Thank you for the encouragement . . . I feel better! Taking a break from yard work right now . . . heading back out in better spirits!
cat...some of my poor silenes I sat out this spring were white with the darn things but disappeared in just a couple days after sprinkling on the systemic...the spidermites disappeared not the silenes...LOL
J,hang in there...that just the nature of gardening
Peggy, did you have a pretty dry summer?
No...one of the wettest year in my memory. Aug.mornings where abnormally cool to then we had just enough dry ,hot weather for the spidermites to appear. I found some on my scuttelarias in the greenhouse yesterday. Caught those early before they caused much damage.My brugs on the patio had them and scale so I cut off all the leaves except the crwon and dr. them up now the new leaves are coming out clean.
OOPS,J...we hi-jacked your post...sorry
Peggy
It's ok Peggy! I appreciate hearing everyone's experience. We also had such a cool wet summer here in Chicago, but almost no rain in the last 3 weeks and all September so far it's been at least 80 (not that I'm complaining). It just seems like I spent most of the summer battling fungus and now that's it's dry & sunny I still can't catch a break! :) I did cut the cinquefoil way back and there is some new growth at the crown which is encouraging. I bought some systemic but haven't applied it yet because it's the kind you have to mix in a sprayer and I don't have one of those yet. I'm also holding off on planting my two new geraniums 'Brookside' near the cinquefoil until I see no more signs of spidermites. Good plan?
Probably, although I'd be more afraid of them (the geraniums) running into a cold streak than the spider mites, especially if you're already treating for them.
I was asking about the dry/ wet weather specifically to confirm the causes - one of the gals here had said that her humid greenhouse still harbored them, so I guess it's not just humidity but actual rainfall that discourages them... or hose blasts, lol!
I try to stay purist in the garden and only treat when absolutely necessary then only with grandulate on only the effected plants so I don't have overspray floating thur the yard that might harm my butterflies,hummers,bees and etc.
Pagan, so far I actually haven't treated, except for blasting daily with the hose. I also try to avoid pesticides unless I am totally at my wit's end. I should have asked about a granular systemic; the guy at the store just handed me the bottle and I took it, and didn't even think about how it would get applied until I got home. And don't worry about my geraniums, I'm getting them in this week for sure! :)
Jen
Bigred - I agree about treating with chems only when absolutely necessary! Just be careful not to use the systemic on anything that is a host plant for bfly cats! Samantha
J,
maybe they'll take it back if you haven't already cracked the seal
Good idea, Peggy! Why didn't I think of that? Duh. :)
How's it going?
Well, I cut back the two really badly infested plants and then noticed that the healthy one in another bed was showing signs of problems. Fortunately we've had a quite a bit of rain the last couple of weeks and the temps have cooled significantly. Everything's starting to look kind of old and tired here by now anyway so it's hard to tell, but I think they'll be ok. We'll see next spring!
Yes,about this time of year everything in the gardens is starting to look tired and old,including me. I generaly get a very statisfied and clam feeling when I am cleaning up and re-mulching for the winter. Something serene(pardon the spelling...my spell check disappeared after I had viruses cleaned up)about looking out on freshly mulched bare or nearly barely flowing lines of the beds in the winter
Jcoakley, I wouldn't be too worried about your Cinquefoil. I had 3 similar to yours and decided that they weren't right for my garden. Last fall I dug them up and gave them to a neighbor. I must not have gotten all of the roots. They have come back this summer and I will try again to eradicate them. Apparently, they are pretty hardy and persistent.
