Achillia foliage turning brown.

Morning all…..
Got a couple of small achillia plants this spring and put them into pots (is this a mistake, should they be in the ground?)
Seemed to be doing ok, but this one’s foliage doesn’t look healthy near the bottom and half way up, what could be causing this? Lack of water or too much? Should it be in the ground?
Would you remove the brown foliage?
Also…. When can we expect the flower heads to bloom?
Cheers all.

 

The lower leaves do tend to go brown as the plant develops but more so due to lack of water. Ideally, they'd be better off in the ground as they like to spread outwards rather than being confined in pots. Your plants already have flowers developing, they should be in full flower in a couple of weeks. Try to keep root disturbance to a minimum if you plan to relocate them now.

 

Thanks for that.
I was thinking of leaving them where they are for now, let them flower and then maybe move them into the ground later in the year, autumn maybe?

 

That will be fine @Grays, just make sure the compost is moist as the days warm up!

 

I bought a couple last year and kept them in pots on the patio. Left them over the winter then divided the pots into smaller clumps before planting out in the garden in the spring. They are all looking happy and starting to flower now.
Another one I put straight in the ground when I bought it and it has disappeared completely - I think I chose the wrong part of the garden for it though.

 

I've lost one too @Escarpment. It was still producing growth late on last year, as it was very warm in autumn, then it died back, and only one stem appeared this year, which was promptly eaten. It's in a reasonably decent area re drainage, as there's plenty of other nearby planting, including a small fir tree, and should have been ok, but that's how it is. I left some to seed, butnothing's showing. Apart from the wild one, they can be a bit short lived here anyway.

Achilleas aren't really suited to long term pot culture @Grays, so they're always best in the ground. It's always harder to keep the moisture levels right in a pot once they grow more, especially when the foliage is covering the pot more so rain can't easily get through, and/or it's hotter and drier. Picking the right spot in a border is always the aim, and they do like a fair bit of sun, and decent enough ground and moisture, but with good drainage.