feeding shrubs during the summer

Jeanie

I think ericacious compost and feed is the best as they don't like alkaline soil.

Happy gardening.

you need lime for Clematis as far as I remember , some of the rest need ericaceous compost , not sure about cord

I just sprinkle a bit of growmore annually, on top, then top up the pots with more compost (I use growbags) and water them well. They all seem to do well on this regime.

For flowering plants I use liquid tomato feed in with the water when they are flowering. That seems to keep them going. I think a lot of the art of growing things is trial and error and the main problems are usually caused by over or under watering or a pot that has become too small.

Good luck!

Top dress your rhododendron and azelea with ericacious compost.

Treat the others to a top dressing of multi-purpose compost with some added fertilizer like bonemeal.

As Gagagran says, give them some liquid fertilizer throughout the year.

Ericaceous fertilizer is also best for camelias. Mine are a bit puny because the landscaper who designed my garden put them too close to a fence with a concrete base and it's likely that the lime leaches out of the concrete.

Ahhh annodomini, I suspect this is why my camellia is puny, can't blame the landscaper as I was the person who put it too close to a fence with a concrete base. We've bought another one and wonder whether to keep it in a tub. What do you gransnet gardeners advise?

I had two camellias in tubs either side of my back door. Last year they were fine. They were both equally fine, with buds up until February. Then one began to go yellow and died!

This is a mystery to me as they were both treated the same, ericaceous compost, feed etc.

The remaining one has lovely white flowers. Any suggestions? x

Vine weevil?

Fish blood and bone is what I give mine and yes I think it might be vine weevil as well.

Iron deficiency?

J52 are you watering them with 'hard' water? I can't grow acid lovers in pots or the borders because our water is hard and the soil too chalky. Rainwater only might help, have you got water butts?

Jeannie Where abouts do you live and is your local tapwater hard or soft?

You need to consider if the tap water is limey when you are watering your plants as well as the sort of compost you use on your lime hating plants.

Iam tubs with ericaceous plants are a good idea depending on what sort of soil and rock is in your area.
I am on glacial till and sands from the Cheshire Plain all very acid, our Camellias do very well. I have to lime other things.

Re Galens comments on vine weevils are the edges of the leaves nibbled into little notches, or have any plants keeled over and the tops fallen off as the wretched vine weevil grubs munches away the roots.
The little blighters love Heuchera species. I have given up on them.

I list a couple of plants to them. When taken out their pots the little grubs had completely taken over the pot.
I'm trying nematodes,

I'm more brutal, drench them with weevil killer!

Thanks for the suggestions. I was watering them with rainwater from the butt. It could be vine weevil. I put the dead one into the green waste bin!

I will keep an eye on the remaining one and take action! x

I'll buy a nice bug pot for the new camellia and keep it in there, close to the house so it's more sheltered during the cold winters.
Let us know how the nematodes work Galen, I confess to having resorted to slug pellets again after a slug infestation left so many plants shredded. I feel guilty about it, but find a week of weeding/tidying and use of slug pellets one week in the autumn and again early spring seems to stop the slugs going forth and multiplying as much as they'd like.

Hi Everyone
My rhododendrons have been well and truly nibbled, what’s the best Vine Weevil killer?