Several Qs with pictures

1. My hardy fuchsia Star Wars. No pruning instructions on the label, so I've just removed last years dead leaves. Should I have done more?




2. My Lithosperm. Recently purchased and still in its pot. I want to get a large pot and plant a few acid lovers together. In the meantime, there are dry brown leaves in the centre and some of the flowers are opeing white. Any ideas?




3. My montana. It has done nothing since I planted it except got some bugundy patches on the leaves. Should I be worried?




4. My dicentra. Recently bought and planted out. Flowering OK, but some leaves are dry and brown.




5. My agapanthus. I was expecting it to die down over winter, but it has stayed green and there seem to be no signs of activity. Anything I should be doing?




6. And finally! My silver birch. We've had trouble with this every year and this year, the leaves are dying and dropping off before they've even opened!



Thanks for any tips

 

Hi daisybell,

My instinct would have told me to cut back Fuscia to it's new growth, but I'm definately not a Fuscia expert.
I have a white Bleeding Heart too, looks identical to yours in size. I often just pull off the odd brown/yellowing leaves on most of my plants.

I think all your plants look great, somone else would be much better than me at answering your questions.

I am interested to see what someone says about your African Lily, because my Spider Lily has done exactly the same thing - bought bulbs in Autumn after it finished flowering, potted it up outside, and it still has the same green leaves on it now.

Regards, Beki x

 

Can only advise on a couple of these things:
Fuschia,
Now the new growth is showing, cut off the dead wood, I have one exactly the same and will be cutting the dead wood today.
The agapanthus:
Mine is the same, as the weather gets warmer, you will eventually get the flower/s growing up through the leaves...leave it as it is/plant it out. the choice is yours, but it will flower again.
Hope this has helped

 

Thanks bashy When you say dead wood, do you mean any branch with no new growth on it? Or the branches with new growth beyond where the new growth is?
Thanks for any help if you actually understood that!

 

yes, the branches that have no new growth on.

 

Thanks for the continuing advice
You're right Marley Farley, it is a lithodora-heavenly blue. Some of the flowers are blue, but most are pale blue/bue and white striped/all white. I have been feeding it ericaceous plant food. Perhaps it will be happier once it's planted out?
I'm feeding the montana too, so hopefully, that should pick up soon.
I will get the fuchsia trimmed as per your advice Bashy

 

Cut back the fuschia at least to where the top leaves are growing, and if there are leaves further down cut back to those to get a bushier plant

Clematis is said to like shade on the root area. Maybe it's getting to much sun at the base.

 

Some Agapanthus are deciduous, some evergreen, mine is evergreen and dosen't have any flower buds and I wouldn't expect it to yet.
Just check now and then for snails resting in the leaves I removed six yesterday.
They dislike being disturbed so do not repot annually, they flower best when rootbound.