Contact John Negus by email address below Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com
What has taken our crinodendron buds?
Q This year our crinodendron had several dozen buds and I was anticipating an impressive display. When a frost was forecast a few weeks ago I covered the shrub with fleece and the buds survived, but they have now vanished and the leaves are turning brown. What has happened?
Gill Chant (via email)
A There are two probable causes for buds dropping: exposure of frosted buds to early morning sun, and drought.
If your shrub is facing east, frozen buds warm up quickly and cells are liable to rupture.
As for buds disappearing, animals may be devouring them. If that is a probability, dose your bush with Grazers Rabbits, Pigeons and Deer, which makes foliage unpalatable to ‘visitors’. This is available from Gardening Naturally. Visit
gardening-naturally.com or call
01285 760 505.
Then again, if you have free-draining soil that dries out quickly, it would have an adverse effect upon flower bud development. If this is the case, enrich the soil with plenty of well-rotted manure or compost as this will help retain moisture around the plant’s roots.
As for leaves turning brown, it may indicate potassium deficiency, which often occurs in sandy soils. You can overcome this by feeding your shrub with sulphate of potash.
