>Can anyone tell me which nutrient creates tall plants? Most of my flowers >do well so I guess I'm doing things right. But I am frustrated that so >many of them get so tall. I have a lot of wind and when the plants are too >tall they blow over.....break, etc. I have beautiful daffodils right now, >but a windy rain sent most to the ground.....most which didn't spring >back...broke instead cause so tall. This seems to be a problem with other >varieties of periannals too. Any suggestions? dee
Hi Dee,
Well the little secret that most of the wonderful gardens you see in the
glossy gardening magazines hide from us workaday gardeners is that all
that lushness is underpinned with a lot of staking. Most public gardens
aren't open to the public in the earliest spring so we don't see all the
stakes, collars, brush nets etcetc that hold up all those plants and make
them look so beautiful.
For those of us that don't wish to go to that length, there are several
options. I, too, live in a windy area at the foot of a mountain plateau
and I've learned I have to have windbreaks, either fences or hedges.
I also select plants that are adapted to windy areas.
Sometimes just accepting the ephemeral nature of herbaceaous plants is the
best bet...........
As for the daffs, you might wnat to move the tall ones to wind-sheltered
areas and replace them with varieties with shorter stalks.
Overfeeding often results in lots of weak growth that leads to floppiness,
if your soil is in good shape you really don't need to fertilize.
Good luck,
Polly M. Law/Thrums End Art Studio
in the beautiful Mid Hudson Valley of NY, USDA zone 5