prunus not flowering well

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laurencewithau
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prunus not flowering well

Post by laurencewithau »

Hi. As you'll see from the photos, I've built an enclosed garden about 20' long, 4' wide and 3' deep. In it I planted two Prunus royal burgundy two years ago. they are now about 10' tall. Last year, they made a wonderful spring display followed by lush foliage. This year all but the bottom leaves have failed to grow after unfurling and most of the flower buds are not developing into flowers. Perhaps this has all been delayed rather than aborted, but I worry that the trees are suffering in some way. I did not feed them last year. Also, we have had several weeks of dry weather here in South Wales and it's only now that I am watering them. But also, I topped up the soil last summer by about three to five inches. i scraped it away from the trunk of each tree to form a bowl, but perhaps it's part of the problem.Should I scrape more away? Keep watering? Feed the roots? Replace the trees with smaller ones? Just wait and see? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
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ayjay
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Re: prunus not flowering well

Post by ayjay »

In general terms trees and shrubs, because they are less vigorous and slower growing need much more initial care than herbaceous plants. Always keep them moist for the the first year, not soaking wet, (unless they like that), but don't allow them to dry out.

Trees and shrubs should always be re-planted to the same depth that they were when bought, whether container grown or bare-rooted.

All you can really do is begin the nurturing process again with regular watering and fertiliser, (don't overdo the fertiliser - just low levels regularly) and if in a couple of years there's no improvement it may be better to replace them.
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laurencewithau
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Re: prunus not flowering well

Post by laurencewithau »

Thanks, ayjay. Yes, I'll give it a go. I've been reading up on dwarf ornamental cherries, but there's not much in the way of informed reviews by people who have tried them. Thanks again.
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