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Polygala myrtifolia - peeling bark???!!!

skane8266skane8266 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
hi. Plant is about 1m round. Been fine in its pot for several years then just noticed yesterday when sweeping leaves it’s bark on lower part of trunk is peeling and just falls away when touched! 
Leaves have gone a purple green colour too. Trimmed back some branches and they’re still green and not at all woody....
whats going on? 

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,195
    What aspect are you keeping the pot? It sounds like a mixture of wind damage and possible frost damage. They need protection of a warm wall/barrier. Leaves turning purple tend to be stress related due to big changes in temperatures. Might be a good idea to photograph the trunk and leaves to see if it’s frost damage. 
  • skane8266skane8266 Posts: 2
    It’s in a pot between the garden wall and house, the wall where it’s situated is only around 1m away from the house as it’s a triangular shaped garden. 
    I was fine before the winter and all this seems to have happened during the beast from the east. We had around 4’ snowdrifts here so it was totally submerged in snow for around a week...
    Will it come back to life? Or should I just bin it? 
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,195
    It’s very hard to tell. It’s very possible parts have died and parts still alive. Can you find any branches that are sturdy enough to scratch? By scratching the top layer of the branch, seeing green underneath tends to be a good sign. But if you see brown, it’s most likely dead. 

    Give your shrub some some more time. You may see new growth in a few weeks once temperatures warm up consistently. 
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