Early to mid summer, this is what my pot of Million Bells, Calibrochoa with ornamental grass looked like! Folks drive down my street, and think, "Wow - that girl know's what she's doin." Then....the summer really gets here.
Now, the thinking is more like, "Poor girl. She should just give it up." I like the length of the plant but where are the flowers? I'm chalking this up to the intense heat and me letting the pot get too dry too many times. I ended up cutting it all back trying to encourage the blooming, but too little too late. I like this combo for next year, but maybe different colors of Million Bells.
Anyone have this same problem?
I stumbled on your page after looking up the same problem. The million bells looked great for a while, but by mid-summer they started to get gangly and the flowers seemed to come in bunches, leaving the tops and select areas without flowers.
ReplyDeleteI realize this article was from 2011, I'm curious to know if you've had any luck with them since. I've trimmed mine back drastically, I'm hoping that will encourage a "fresh start" so to speak.
Anyway, thank you for a lovely site and some nice inspiration.
Well Tim, I honestly did not try Million Bells the next year because the memory of the green moppy mess was too close. However, I am growing them this year and they are doing MUCH better. Our Summer is much more mild than it has been and I've been religious with the watering.
ReplyDeleteI do remember when I bought these, I trimmed them back a bit, just like my husbands grandmother told me to. I didn't do this with my current batch and they are not as full, although they are thriving. I'd like to know how yours do after their "shave." Good luck and thanks for commenting
It has been about a month and a half since I took the scissors to my Million Bells, trimming each stem to 4-6 inches and losing every flower in the process. I have to say, I was quite worried that they were not going to come back, but after a slow start, they are back in full bloom.
ReplyDeleteThe first few inches of the stems from the soil are slightly brown, but the bulk of the plant is as beautiful as ever. I suspect that the plant has not fared as well due to mild neglect - the summer has either been very dry, or very wet, and I've not always been able to move it inside during the storms. I think that with more diligent care, it may have come back a little sooner or without the discoloration, but I'm quite pleased with the progress regardless.
I may try to use ornamental grass like you did in order to mask the brown areas. If it looks even half as nice as the picture in your post, I'll be very pleased.
I hope your garden is going well. :)