Every year, every garden has its share of failures (especially in New Mexico), and mine is no exception. This year, my failures have been spectacular (or, to quote the movie Moulin Rouge, "SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR!"). Of my garden's failures, none has been more disappointing than that of the Eremurus (above). Last year, they were incredible. This year, sigh, tear, they are miserable. I'm blaming the crazy late snow and cold weather for the sluggish growth and the blasted stems. If I could get them to be happy simply by force of will, they would have perked up, but no. Instead I have to tear my wretched eyes away from them and look at something more successful (like the Ceanothus).
My two rose plants (they could hardly be called bushes at this size of several inches tall) were stunted by the late cold as well (at least that's what I'm blaming). They both had serious dieback, even before the late snow killed all the newly emerged leaves. This Madame Isaac Pereire shows some hints of recovery, but looks so miserable I'm tempted to take it out. But I won't. I've learned a lesson from the Ceanothus.
Second runner-up in the disappointment category is this Echinocereus reichenbachii var. caespitosus. Some years, it is a glowing mound of perfectly formed pink flowers. Some years, like this year, it seemed as if it wasn't certain what to do. A few flowers came out, only to be malformed, then a few more, also malformed, then a few more, and so on.Tell me about your garden failures. I need to feel better. Or worse, if you tell me all your successes.
Hm failures, let’s see I’m generally too lazy to mowing (I’ve just mistyped “moving”, that maybe true too), I guess that’s not the sort of failure you want to see, but poison yes indeed, last year I forgot to treated my roses early enough with toxic and the full summer and fall they were wonderful infested with a fungal disease called “Diplocarpon rosae”.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of failures, mostly due to either oak root fungus or rabbits. I just lost a 15 foot lilac, probably to the former. I planted a whole garden in a spot which I have come to realize must have been a site for oak trees that had been cleared, and over the years one thing after another succumbs. Of course I am trying to replace them with resistant stuff, and to decrease or eliminate watering, but it's discouraging!
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