Re: flannel bush
Julie wrote:
> On another note, can anyone suggest ways to revive a depauperate
> flannel-bush (Fremontodendron californicum)? I planted it 8 years ago in
> unamended nutrient-poor clay soil. It still flowers, but each year has
> fewer, smaller leaves and fewer flowers; and it hasn't grown for the last
> several years. It gets watered a couple times in summer, not fertilized;
> growing in part shade of Quercus douglasii.
Julie
My book says this species is short-lived, so very likely your plant is
simply suffering from old age.
If you would like to try and rejuvenate it, these plants can apparently
be propagated by seed in spring or cuttings in summer.
I wonder, however, if the unamended clay is perhaps hard going even for
a native, and that when establishing a new plant it might be a good idea
to improve the ground with a topdressing of a little compost covered
with a bark mulch. This will work most effectively if applied to the
surface rather than being dug in.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand. (on the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
Lat. 41:16S Long. 174:58E. Climate: Mediterranean/Temperate
