Potted shade plants continually giving up the ghost!

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AHealy8172 Devon, PA Apr 16, 2012

I have this really cool planter that looks like a bike, but has all these pots attached. It's life-sized and made of metal (that has begun to rust a bit). It's really neat-looking, but so far every plant that I plant in this planter - save one, a strawberry plant - has eventually just sort of died. I always pay attention to the planting conditions required of the speciments I select - it's a mostly shaded area - but for some reason, plants just don't last. And theres no warning either- no browning or withering or discoloration, no sign of a pest, it's just always the same: one day I go out there and the plant looks like it fainted...And from there it turns brown and dies. The latest victim is a Dutchman's Breeches sprout that was mail order. I planted it and it tripled in size in a day (no lie). I made sure to water it after a few days and things seemed to be going well, then all of a sudden it just collapsed.

This is the first time I've ever had a Dutchman's Breeches plant, so I don't know if there's something particular about them I should know....? I also had a Helleboris in a terracotta planter that was ready to bloom this year, go and do the same thing; this planter is NOT metal like the rest of the bike, I just set it on top, but it's in the same spot, and one day close to bloom it just collapsed. Last year it was the same with a Primrose that bloomed like crazy in one of the metal pots, then one day before it even got cold, it just died off and never came back. I don't know what could be happening, or if it's just a coincedence. The Helleboris has since come back, but the bloom died along with the rest of the leaves prior. There's also a Delphinium there in a metal pot that's not dead, but not really growing and I think that just needs more sun, but the Breeches (and Helleboris) baffle me. What could be happening? There are landscapers that come (I live in an apartment complex) and they spray bug spray around sometimes, but I don't believe they've done it this year yet, or if that would even matter?

Does anyone have any ideas? Especially dealing with the happiness of Dutchman's Breeches- the leaves are so pretty, I don't want to lose them! Thanks.

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