Flowers losing their petals - Ask Extension
Hi, I have a lot of flowers, all perennial, that flower beautifully then the petals fall off.
It happening in different areas all through my Polian g...
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Flowers losing their petals #875844
Asked July 03, 2024, 3:38 PM EDT
Hi, I have a lot of flowers, all perennial, that flower beautifully then the petals fall off.
It happening in different areas all through my Polian garden.
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
I have several groups of flowers that bloom beautifully then the Petals fall off the flower. This is happening all through my pollination garden, and I don’t know why.
The petals seem to not be falling off exactly (unless you're seeing them scattered on the ground in large numbers) but rather chewed off. This is a very common phenomenon. Various insects can be responsible, though none of them are serious because the flowers still have value to pollinators (and later, if not removed, as seeds for birds in late summer, fall, and winter). Candidate chewers include caterpillars, beetles, earwigs, young grasshoppers, crickets, and young katydids, several of which blend-in well or feed at night, making them hard to catch in the act.
No insecticide treatment is needed, especially since using one could potentially harm the pollinators the flowers are meant to attract. The plants will continue to bloom as their energy stores allow, and all that needs to be done to support them is to monitor their watering needs as our current drought continues. (Feel the soil around five inches deep and water well once it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth.)
Miri
No insecticide treatment is needed, especially since using one could potentially harm the pollinators the flowers are meant to attract. The plants will continue to bloom as their energy stores allow, and all that needs to be done to support them is to monitor their watering needs as our current drought continues. (Feel the soil around five inches deep and water well once it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth.)
Miri
Miri,
Thank you so much for your quick reply.
Thanks also for all of your information!
I do not use any insecticides at all.
My gardens about three years old now and once they’re finished blooming, I don’t remove anything until the end of winter very early spring.
So glad to hear the flowers are still beneficial for all of the wonderful pollinators!
Take care and thank you again
Kathy
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 3, 2024, at 5:45 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
You're welcome.