Romneya pruning?

 I have a Romneya coulteri which I planted last November (spring here in
 Tasmania) beside a brick wall which faces the sun. It did not lose its
 leaves last winter because of the heat of the wall, and is now about six
 feet high, and the buds are getting fat & fuzzy.

 The plant came with minimal cultural instructions, so I need advice on its
 care and feeding.  In particular, will it need to be pruned? (I had vaguely
 thought it was supposed to die down during the winter, but since it
 didn't--should I cut it back?)  If it should be pruned, is it to be cut back
 all over every year like a Buddleia davidii, or does one remove a few old
 stems per year, as with black currants? Is it best to prune after flowering
 or in the autumn?

 I would also appreciate advice on its fertilizer requirements.  The soil
 here has special dwarfing properties. (As shown by the fact that my
 Artemisia 'Powis Castle' is less than 2 feet high although it has not been
 divided or cut back in the 3 years that I have had it. It makes a silvery
 dome that looks as dense as a cauliflower head, and shows no sign of
 becoming leggy!) Some of the Australian native plants I grow are easily
 damaged by too much fertilizer, so I often give the exotics a foliar feed
 rather than applying fertilizers to the soil. Would this be all right for
 the Romneya?

 If any members of this group are interested in Australian plants, they might
 like to visit the Oz bush garden site at http://www.highway1.com.au/ozgarden/
    (That's highwayONE, not highwayELL).
 Thanks from Elizabeth.
 Current Economic philosophy suggests that if we all act like hawks we ,will
 all end up as doves as( or is that chickens?)
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index