My plants have died AGAIN

[Dollygirl2008]

Every year I buy perennials that are supposed to flourish every year, but it never seems to happen (with the exception of my lavendar and hydrangea). It costs me a fortune!

I have a small, south facing patio garden and I really want some lovely pots of flowers/greenery that make it colourful and interesting over the Summer. Although I'm a novice, I try so hard and enjoy it, hence I get disheartened! I'd like to grow bamboo in a pot to soften the edges - any advice, or plants that would thrive? Thanks in advance!

Are they all in pots?
Are you watering the pots over winter?

Most plants don't like being in pots.
Do your pots have adequate drainage?

What perennials have you tried? Whereabouts in the UK are you and is the patio sheltered? Which direction does it face?

Ha. I love that the first answer is "are the pots too dry?" and the second answer is "are the pots too wet?"

Are you being too impatient? I have (I hope!) many perennials that haven't shown their faces yet.

Um no - I've not been watering over the winter as I assumed it was wet enough (UK) and a couple of them were in beds. Drainage - yes I think so - I've always used the soil/drainage that is recommended on the care instructions

I genuinely can't remember now but i definitely planted Phlox, and a couple of climbers - clematis and jasmine. I know that some of them don't bud just yet, believe me - these are dead.....

South facing garden

Do you feed the pots? As any plant is going to use up the available nutrients in them pretty quickly.
I grow quite a lot in pots. I have hydrangeas, dahlia, lilies, alpines, and the only thing I have lost is a smallish cordyline which rotted as it has been a really wet winter.

Clematis and jasmine are both fairly indestructable and it's a bit early for you to decide that they are dead. My jasmine still looks dead, and does one clematis (the one in a pot). Vine is usually the last thing in my garden to spring to life.

I'm in the South East.

Some herbaceous plants aren't ready to grow yet.

If you want herbs in post, go for mint, mine are just starting to grow. Chives have pretty flowers. Sage has a good colour or you could try varieties.

You could try soft fruit in pots.Strawberries, raspberries, etc

As others have said maybe they’re not ready to appear yet. I have 70-100 pots in a large courtyard. I don’t water them in winter, but some such as palms, I wrap in fleece over winter. Others I move so they are sheltered by larger plants. Pots are quite hard work, because there roots are restricted and you have to act as Mother Nature, feeding them, weeding the pots, watering etc. One real pest is Vine weevil. They lay eggs deep in the pot and the grubs eat the roots, thus the plants die.
In the later spring and summer I buy nematodes to water in and they eat the grubs. Around now I top dress the pots with compost, using ericaceous compost for Acers, rhododendrons and camellias.
Throughout the summer I feed every two weeks with tomato feed, except the ericaceous ones, they have their own feed.
Hope this helps.

thank you for all your helpful comments! Dahlia's - that was the other one!

I'm going to not only invest in some more plants, but invest in the keeping of them, and the research into them!

One last question - any tips on growing bamboo? I've seen that some varieties are better in large pots than others

Dahlias aren't up yet. Clematis has a remarkably capacity for looking dead. I wouldn't give up on either of those until the end of May.

Try Shrub Roses, they are fairly tough :-)

Golden bamboo does well in a pot. If you’re starting with a small plant it will need repotting roughly every two years they quickly become pot bound. My 8ft ones are in 50 cms pots. After trial and error I used straight sided plastic pots. They’re very difficult to get out of the pot once pot bound. They do need watering and feeding from spring to Autumn, but are lovely rustling in the wind.

My potted dahlia are only just bring yo bud in the greenhouse and no sign of life yet from the ones in the ground.
As long as they don’t rot if very wet dahlia tubers are pretty indistructable so give them time and when they start to show give them a feed with a multi purpose fertiliser.

As regards investments, you can get soft fruit and herbs, and bamboo from gardening friends or from free sites like Nextdoor. Pound shops sell shrubs - hibiscus is pretty but needs a sunny spot.

Generally, if a plant is expensive, it will probably not be foolproof. A freebie cutting will be.

Bamboo is quite thirsty.

My phlox doesn't show much until about May, nor does my salvia. Hardy geraniums are only beginning to show new leaves in the last week or so. It's really early to think everything is dead!

Give them more time. If you can tip them up and check the rootball - look for vine weevil grubs.

The bigger the pot the better as well - less watering. But most of the things you mention I wouldn't expect to see much sign of life yet.

If we get a warm spell you might see something in a couple of weeks. Everything in my garden is sulking.

I have a lot of things in pots!

As a general point last year in a very sunny spot a very large pot - 50cms across did really well with a geum in it and a sedum with something else I've forgotten. A lavendar did well as did a pot with rosemary, thyme and chives.

The dahlias were fantastic and some scented geraniums

Perfect! Sounds like I've been premature abs all may not be lost!!

@MaryIsA

Give them more time. If you can tip them up and check the rootball - look for vine weevil grubs.

The bigger the pot the better as well - less watering. But most of the things you mention I wouldn't expect to see much sign of life yet.

If we get a warm spell you might see something in a couple of weeks. Everything in my garden is sulking.

I have a lot of things in pots!

Yes, vine weevils or an ants' nest may be damaging the roots.

Have you tried roses?
I find them impossible to kill, give them a haircut in March and lots of them start flowering in May right through to frost.

Buddleja ‘buzz’ aswell is very hardy, also needs a haircut in March.

Depending where you are snapdragons.
I’m in the south and they survive winter and throw out dozens of babies every year.
Need no pruning either.

Penstemons are usually very hardy too

also, get the biggest pots you possibly can. add slow-release fertilizer to the soil,

I've also heard that adding non-clumping cat litter (the type made of clay) to the soil in pots can be very useful to retain water when it is wet / release it when it is dry.