Drooping Camassia
Gardenix
Posts: 4
Have not grown these before and suddenly the unopened flower heads have drooped and look as though they have been strangled. Anyone else had the same problem and know what caused it?
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Gardenix
Posts: 4
Gardenix
Posts: 4
Posts
I had a white one Gardenix. Came up every year, nearly got to flowering and the flowers went brown. Have yours gone brown? Decided the soil was too poor and moved them but with no change. I have blue ones that never let me down.
Never diagnosed the problem so not much help, sorry
In the sticks near Peterborough
I haave grown bllue camassia for years, with wonderful success, now their buds are high and will soon open, but the white ones have never done anything. I do wonder if they are just a breeders 'sport' rahter than a colour the plant developed itself? Sometimes in their enthusiasm to give us something new, the resulting offerings aren't up to natures plans. I too have given up with th white ones, added to which, here at least, they did not come up and try to flower at the same time as the blue, which had been my, now bandoned, plan. Should have guessed nature would win, she usually does!
Thank you nutcutlet and Bookertoo. The offending Camassia is a blue one. It has not gone brown but the neck just below the flower head looked creased, darkened and bent over, all within the space of a few hours. Wonder if a virus of some type is causing the problem. I have white Camassias too but they are much slower to grow so far.
Hmm, interersting that you are having trouble with the blue one, with more desscription of the problems I wonder one of two things. Is there any way it could have been damaged at some point in the last little while, maybe by a pigeon, someone walking past or something, allowing the damage to be obvious later. Also I wonder if you had a late frost which might have damaged the forming bloom.
No likelihood of mechanical damage by humans or birds. Does not look like frost damage. The bed in the neck is well below the flower head. Today another of the flower spikes has done the same thing.
Went tot Malvern Show yesterday and asked RHS person about the problem. He said it was caused by Botrytis (grey mould). Said the plant has not been in enough circulating air. As the plants have been in an open part of the garden, this does not quite hold up (bit like the flower heads!)
My blue ones are just coming into flower. They were shoved in a couple of pots 3 years ago when we moved, so are now very overcrowded. I must get round to panting them out.
I also have white ones in the garden - shady - and are also coming into flower.
They do prefer a bit of shade, and I do not disturb them. The ones in the pots I will just put in a hole, not split them.
Here is a photo of my white camassias, just coming into flower
Now I'm envious Matty, mine didn't even get as far as flower spikes before everything went brown. They're out as soon as I get round to it.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have had a pale blue camassia for about four years,it was in bloom when i bought it. I planted it beside my pond,but the following two years it did not bloom, and did not seem happy producing some leaves. So i decided to move it to a new position since then it has produced lots of healthy leaves but still no flowers. My soil is clay although i have greatly improved it. I have read they need a slightly acid soil so i am considering putting it in a pot with some ericaceous compost. It would good hear any any tips.