Problem with Heliopsis

Hamilton, OH(Zone 6a)

Help! My Heliopsis helianthoides “Summer Nights” wilts in the afternoon. It recovers overnight then the process repeats. Some stems have died tio the ground. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Camano Island, WA(Zone 8a)

Mine needed more water than I was giving it and it did that same thing. Try more water and see if it responds that that.

Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

My heliopsis helianthoides 'venus' wilts some during the day but always recovers. Our soil is pretty wet right now so I'm not sure moisture would be an issue. Do you have any pictures of the plant while it's wilted?

Hamilton, OH(Zone 6a)

Thank you for the replies. We have had ample rain here this spring. I do not think it is a water issue. Her is a picture of the plant wilted today. It occurred shortly after the sun hit it.

Thumbnail by cottelpg
Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

Wow, that's some wilt! How long has the plant been established? Has this always been the case in previous summers?

Camano Island, WA(Zone 8a)

Yowza! That's bad. Could something be blocking water uptake in the stems? Are there any borers in Ohio (I grew up in Kent, but it was years ago...I do remember Japanese beetles and that's about it).

Hamilton, OH(Zone 6a)

I planted these in the fall, 2012. Last year they gave me some bloom and were trouble free. This morning they had again recovered for the most part. I like this plant because it blooms between the spring perennials and the daylilies. However, this wilting has me considering assigning it to the compost pile. I had not considered borers. I will inspect for them. Thanks for your responses to my inquiry.

Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

Don't compost it yet. It's possible it just needs dividing too. I like the idea of the borers though because that's what happened to my Becky Shasta Daisy. You'll see holes in the bottom of the stalks where they hit the soil and then underneath as well.

Hamilton, OH(Zone 6a)

I am intrigued with your experience with borers on Becky Shasta Daisey. For the past five or six years I have been disappointed that mine rarely lasted more than one or two seasons. I never considered borers and I will watch for that now and look for them on the Heliopsis as well. By the way, what did you do about the borers?

Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

I didn't know it was borers at the time. Just now am I putting the two together in my head. There were a bunch of tiny holes in the bottom part of the stems where they met the roots and even down into the top part of the roots. I dug the entire thing out and tossed it. It was about 3'x2'.

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