Dying Prairie Red Coneflower Plant - Ask Extension
Hello!
I planted 2 prairie red coneflower plants last fall that I got through Garden in a Box. One is doing beautifully and just started to bloom. ...
Knowledgebase
Dying Prairie Red Coneflower Plant #873782
Asked June 19, 2024, 1:25 PM EDT
Hello!
I planted 2 prairie red coneflower plants last fall that I got through Garden in a Box. One is doing beautifully and just started to bloom. The other was doing great, you could even start to see some buds and then it slowly started drying up and dying starting a few weeks ago. I had still been watering both about 2x a week. Any ideas about where I went wrong and any way to bring it back?
Thank you so much!
Jefferson County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello and thank you for contacting us. It is a bummer when you lose a beautiful plant like this one.
Some questions for you, with explanations below:
Using gravel as mulch/ground cover is a great idea - if it is not applied too deeply (more than an inch or so). Too much rock around the crown of a plant can be too hot.
Generally, native Colorado plants should be planted in unamended soil or by amending with crushed granite or pea gravel just enough to allow good drainage in our heavily clay soil. If your soil was heavily amended with compost, the soil might be too rich, or holding too much moisture at the roots.
And sometimes, plants just die for no apparent reason. :o( My guess on this one is that it's gotten too much water that is not draining easily away from the plant, and/or the rock is making the planted area too hot.
This plant may or may not come back. In order to give it a shot, try scraping any excess rock away a 4" or so from the crown of the plant. Cut out any 100% dead leaves or flower stalks, but leave anything with green on it (you may cut off the dead parts). This makes it easy to see any regrowth.
If the soil (using the finger test) is dry, water the plant well by hand. If the soil is moist, take a screwdriver and gently poke it into the soil a few places around the plant - about 3" from the crown. This will allow the soil to breathe and to hopefully drain if that was the problem. Check the plant every 2-3 days with the finger test, and water lightly only if it is dry. Give a few weeks to recover - if it does not, late summer/early fall is a great time to replace it and you can sometimes find perennials on sale at that time of year.
This plant is a short-lived perennial, but it freely self-seeds. You can let the seeds fall where they may, or remove seed heads from the healthy plant (only when they are 100% dry but before the birds get them :o) and sprinkle them where the other plant was. Nature will take care of the seeds, and they'll germinate late winter.
This is a good resource on selecting and growing native plants from CSU: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/07242.pdf.
And this is information from Wild Ones, a local organization that promotes native Colorado plants and teaches the public how to grow and maintain them. https://frontrange.wildones.org/growing-colorado-native-plants-best-practices/
Good luck with your plants, and please let us know if you have further questions.
Jeffco Master Gardener Annette
Some questions for you, with explanations below:
- Are you hand-watering twice a week, or are they on a irrigation system? How long are they being watered each time?
- If you stick your finger as far into the soil as you can, can you feel any moisture? Do the same with the healthy plant, and compare which is more moist or dry.
- How deep is the gravel underneath the plants?
- How much sun does this area get?
- Was the planting area amended with anything during planting?
- How are the other plants that came in your box doing?
Using gravel as mulch/ground cover is a great idea - if it is not applied too deeply (more than an inch or so). Too much rock around the crown of a plant can be too hot.
Generally, native Colorado plants should be planted in unamended soil or by amending with crushed granite or pea gravel just enough to allow good drainage in our heavily clay soil. If your soil was heavily amended with compost, the soil might be too rich, or holding too much moisture at the roots.
And sometimes, plants just die for no apparent reason. :o( My guess on this one is that it's gotten too much water that is not draining easily away from the plant, and/or the rock is making the planted area too hot.
This plant may or may not come back. In order to give it a shot, try scraping any excess rock away a 4" or so from the crown of the plant. Cut out any 100% dead leaves or flower stalks, but leave anything with green on it (you may cut off the dead parts). This makes it easy to see any regrowth.
If the soil (using the finger test) is dry, water the plant well by hand. If the soil is moist, take a screwdriver and gently poke it into the soil a few places around the plant - about 3" from the crown. This will allow the soil to breathe and to hopefully drain if that was the problem. Check the plant every 2-3 days with the finger test, and water lightly only if it is dry. Give a few weeks to recover - if it does not, late summer/early fall is a great time to replace it and you can sometimes find perennials on sale at that time of year.
This plant is a short-lived perennial, but it freely self-seeds. You can let the seeds fall where they may, or remove seed heads from the healthy plant (only when they are 100% dry but before the birds get them :o) and sprinkle them where the other plant was. Nature will take care of the seeds, and they'll germinate late winter.
This is a good resource on selecting and growing native plants from CSU: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/07242.pdf.
And this is information from Wild Ones, a local organization that promotes native Colorado plants and teaches the public how to grow and maintain them. https://frontrange.wildones.org/growing-colorado-native-plants-best-practices/
Good luck with your plants, and please let us know if you have further questions.
Jeffco Master Gardener Annette
