Anyone know why this is happening?

[divvintbelieveit]

Am I just really crap at looking after outdoors plants and flowers?

Is hat chicken pellets directly on the flowers and leaves?

*that

The leaves look really healthy, have the flowers got very wet? Also what are the pellets on the plant?

Sorry for my delayed response.

The pellets didn't stay on the leaves/plants. I'd sprinkled them on an moved them down to the soil (slugs were eating the leaves).

And it could potentially be due to the wetness as we've had a heck of a lot of rain in the north easy for pretty much a week non-stop....

Leaves/petals *

I have a sunflower too which was beautifully healthy and it's just a mess now!

Heavy rain is often the culprit of ruined flowers, it can bruise the petals, leading to rot.

@NerrSnerr thanks. I'm guessing this isn't fixable

You say the pellets are slug pellets, but they should not be on the flowers. They may have affected the flowers.

When you sprinkle them, do it at ground level.

I suspect heavy rain. If you cut the dead flowers off they may bloom again.

@divvintbelieveit I don’t think you meant to tag me- I know nothing about flowers.

Oh god @NerrSnerr apologies!! I have no idea why or how I did that 

That was meant for @NanTheWiser

If it's water damage then no it's not fixable, but if you remove all the damaged flowers then more should grow.

This might be a really silly question

Do I cut literally just from the flower, or take it back down to being tiny?

Cut the flower head off.

I usually take the stem away too, to look prettier, but just that flower stem, not any leaves

Great! Thanks so much

The pellets didn't stay on the leaves/plants. I'd sprinkled them on an moved them down to the soil (slugs were eating the leaves). Were those slug pellets? That's far, far too many to use! You don't need more than half a dozen to protect that plant. Using more is wasteful and makes it far more likely that another animal will eat a fatal dose.

Yes, they are. The pack I have says to cover soil in each pot? It also says safe for cats etc...

I think i just need to cut my losses and realise I'm shit at this stuff.... I tried to do something lovely for him and failed miserably. The ones in my big planter are lovely at least!

Yes, they are. The pack I have says to cover soil in each pot? It also says safe for cats etc... Ah, it sounds as if they aren't slug pellets in the sense of something that poisons the slugs, but perhaps bran pellets? In which case they won't hurt the plants.

I think i just need to cut my losses and realise I'm shit at this stuff Nonsense! As PP, those plants are lovely and healthy, and the flower markings are probably just the rain - you can't help that. The way to get good at gardening is to make lots and lots of mistakes, and think about each one and what went wrong.

If it encourages you, I've been gardening off and on for 60 years, and this year so far just this year I have killed a cucumber plant by planting it out too early, lost a whole tray of seedlings because I forgot to water them, my succession sowing of peas hasn't done well - I think I may have a mouse in the greenhouse.

MereDintofPandiculation Is absolutely right; gardening is about practice, and experience, and trial and error. I’ve killed more plants than I care to mention (sorry!) but honestly by having a go is the only way you’ll learn. You’ve learned on this occasion that delicate flowers are often/ usually damaged by prolonged, heavy rain. There are lots of summer bedding type plants that I just don’t bother with for the same reason - we live in a wet part of the country (do you, too?) And too many summers I’ve been disappointed with soggy, ruined flowers that I’ve given up. I choose flowering shrubs now that I know don’t mind getting their faces a bit wet .

Another time you might want to ask someone who has a nice garden near you (a relative?) or someone at the garden centre what they find does well in your area.

Nobody is “born” knowing how to garden. It is an entirely learned skill.

Keep going!

@MereDintofPandiculation @Daisydoesnt

Thank you both. I'm actually pleased as I took the dead head from my sunflower and three new heads have started flowering!!

I just want it to be perfect as it's a section of my garden which I've set up as a memorial for my son and it just seems to keep going wrong!

I've got a large planter which had a roof on it and the ones in there have come along lovely so I definitely think it's the rain which has ruined them!

I'm actually pleased as I took the dead head from my sunflower and three new heads have started flowering!! Yes, it's a part of plant design. Each leaf has a bud in the axil where it joins the stem, ready to grow if needed. Usually the fact that the main flower is flourishing suppresses the growth of the side buds, but if you take the top off, the suppression stops and the side buds grow. This is what happens if you "dead-head" as you've just done; with other plants you may do it earlier, ie "pinch out", to stimulate branching and a bushy plant.

I just want it to be perfect Nature will do better than you - you provide the plants and give them the opportunity - it's up to nature what happens then. Relax, and find the beauty in whatever grows.