My Plants Are Dead
Last September, I bought two rhododendrons from the Liberty Sunset Garden Center in Red Hook to go in front of my house. Listening to their expert advice, I purchased two huge planters along with organic fertilizer, soil, etc. I watered the plants and tookl loving care of them. OK, so here we are just six…
Last September, I bought two rhododendrons from the Liberty Sunset Garden Center in Red Hook to go in front of my house. Listening to their expert advice, I purchased two huge planters along with organic fertilizer, soil, etc. I watered the plants and tookl loving care of them. OK, so here we are just six months later and both plants are dead. I spent nearly $300 (not to mention the $400 for the planters). I went back to Liberty Sunset Center to ask for an exchange and they wailed and blamed me for the demise of the plants. Of course, in their hysterics they refused to do anything to help me. Does anybody think I deserve a credit towards some new plants or some other remedy?
I had a azelea bush in a pot which weathered a lot of winters and this winter it didn’t make it. This was an unusually long winter season due to La Nina. I don’t know if that is a factor.
Salt spray from the Brooklyn Bridge waterfalls???
Obviously the size of the containers can’t be at issue since they told you which to buy. I doubt it was over-watering either since we had a dry winter. I think thye should give you two new plants.
The last statement refers to my partner , not the salesperson.
OK,
Thanks for the comments. The planters are gigantic, three feet in diameter and made of cast stone. I put drainage gravel on the bottom (as was told) . I put in organic soil with organic fertilizer measured as per instructions. I did not overwater them. They are in a position to get three or four hours of sumlight, That was enough as far as Liberty Garden was concerned. There was no construction nearby creating dust, etc. Something they blamed me for when I went to ask for a credit.
Though not a professional, I and my partner made our choice based on prudent and researched care. We spent weeks looking for the right plants and spent an hour with the salesperson who assured us that these plants were the right ones. She’s as upset as I am .
Sorry, without a description of how OP cared for the plants, I’m not taking the bait about Liberty Sunset’s “hysterics.” If you read the links below (obviously, there’s endless experience and information on this subject), you’ll see that the 2nd link lists these as their first three causes of rhododendron death: “excessive water kills about 75 percent of all rhododendrons purchased….Another cause of rhododendron death is lack of water….Another cause of rhododendron death is the excessive application of fertilizer….” I’d rather first hear from OP about the size and location of container, wind and snow exposure, and the actual plant care provided, than jump to protests about the nursery’s guarantee.
http://extension.unh.edu/FHGEC/documents/evergren1.pdf
http://www.rhododendron.org/v48n2p85.htm
http://ct.gov/CAES/cwp/view.asp?a=2815&q=376848
They died, most likely, because the planters were too small and the roots froze.
I have the same issue and I also bought them in Red Hook garden center. I spent over $800 on various plants and there are a few large bushes and trees which look dead. I was just hoping maybe its too early in the season for them to have any sign of life. I am waiting for them to come back to life…
How can I avoid this in the future?
How often did you water them over the winter?