Well. I said when I started this blog that I was going to document the hits and misses. If you want to see ugly, then here it goes. The first contestant in the ugly plant contest would be my Salad Bush cucumber. Last year these cucumbers produced like crazy. I couldn't keep up with them. Unfortunately, I relocated them to a spot that they didn't like. They were overshadowed by a severely overgrown hedge that belongs to the house next door. Luckily it was finally sold, and the new neighbors invested in a hedge trimmer. It's too late for this guy though. This plant yielded two cucumbers...almost. You can see them hanging on the foliage-free plants. Nothing but vine. Sad looking thing, isn't it?
A strong competitor in the ugly plant contest would be my Jack Be Little pumpkin vine. We had a horrible stretch of rain and high humidity. The foliage held strong for the first few weeks. Once the first sign of powdery mildew took hold...it was all downhill from there. I did get two nice little pumpkins from the vine. I should have planted more than one vine so the female blossoms had a better chance of pollination.
The third contestant in the ugly plant contest would be this nightmare of a plant that I've hated since I first bought it two season ago. My eyesore, Sundown echinacea. What a sucky plant. From the time that I had it it had "crinkly leaf syndrome". They would turn brown and crispy. Sun scorch? Unlikely. It only received morning sun. Rust? Maybe. Every year the older foliage turns crispy. Then as the season progresses it gets powdery mildew to make it look even more disgusting. My gut says to just pull it. It's nothing but a headache. I just can't. If I cut away the blooms and the tall foliage, the base foliage is always healthy as can be. SOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING! If I didn't pay so much for this stupid plant it would be in the landfill right now (I would never compost this diseased mess).
Well. I said when I started this blog that I was going to document the hits and misses. If you want to see ugly, then here it goes. The first contestant in the ugly plant contest would be my Salad Bush cucumber. Last year these cucumbers produced like crazy. I couldn't keep up with them. Unfortunately, I relocated them to a spot that they didn't like. They were overshadowed by a severely overgrown hedge that belongs to the house next door. Luckily it was finally sold, and the new neighbors invested in a hedge trimmer. It's too late for this guy though. This plant yielded two cucumbers...almost. You can see them hanging on the foliage-free plants. Nothing but vine. Sad looking thing, isn't it? 
A strong competitor in the ugly plant contest would be my Jack Be Little pumpkin vine. We had a horrible stretch of rain and high humidity. The foliage held strong for the first few weeks. Once the first sign of powdery mildew took hold...it was all downhill from there. I did get two nice little pumpkins from the vine. I should have planted more than one vine so the female blossoms had a better chance of pollination. 
The third contestant in the ugly plant contest would be this nightmare of a plant that I've hated since I first bought it two season ago. My eyesore, Sundown echinacea. What a sucky plant. From the time that I had it it had "crinkly leaf syndrome". They would turn brown and crispy. Sun scorch? Unlikely. It only received morning sun. Rust? Maybe. Every year the older foliage turns crispy. Then as the season progresses it gets powdery mildew to make it look even more disgusting. My gut says to just pull it. It's nothing but a headache. I just can't. If I cut away the blooms and the tall foliage, the base foliage is always healthy as can be. SOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING! If I didn't pay so much for this stupid plant it would be in the landfill right now (I would never compost this diseased mess).
Oh dear! I know the feeling, was just griping about summer gardens in TX on my blog. Thing is, most of my entire garden looks like this. Impatiently waiting for September so I can start again and maybe actually get something (besides heat stroke and depressed) from my garden.
ReplyDelete:( I guess I shouldn't be complaining then. I'm sure things will go better once you get a fresh start. It's been a tough summer everywhere.
ReplyDelete