Everything's sad?

Hi all, I've recently dug out some borders in my garden and started filling them with flowering plants, stuff like Mimulus, petunias, ageratum etc. Just stuff from the local garden center. I dug out the borders then filled them with bagged compost.
All of the stuff is looking very droopy and sad. At first I thought we were over watering so we cut way back, but it didn't change much. I'm really not sure why they are like this so I'm hoping someone can give us some advice!

Thanks

 

Need a picture really, but maybe the stuff needed hardening off.

Its also been pretty cold overnight recently, have you had a touch of ground frost.

 

Hi,

A picture paints a thousand words, but if this has happen literally just last night or the night before then its quiet possible they were knocked out by frost as, depending where your are located ? the nightime temps have been near or below 0c with frosts.

Thats why you often hear the the weather forecaters saying 'gardeners beware' when they know a hot sunny day can be followed by a very cold night even in May.

Again cannot see your garden, but its not always necessary to remove good soil and replace with compost as most plants are quiet happen in decent soil.
Are you in a new build or something ?

Ha, pete beat me to it !

 

Here's a picture of one of them

 

First of all - welcome to the forum. If you stick with it - the garden and the forum, you will have to change the name you have chosen - we can`t have you calling yourself ''all dead''

One of the best ways to learn about gardening is from mistakes, so if the frost did get your plants this time - don`t you go giving up will you.

Maybe you could let us know whereabouts you are in the country, and post some photos of your garden - we like photos.

Cheer up - you will get loads of help from the friendly lot on here - some of us have been gardening for over 100 years (and we still don`t know it all)........especially me

 

I don't mind if it was the frost, id just like to know if that's what it was!
I'm in Yorkshire, I think the coldest is been overnight is about 6c since I planted but it might have been down it 3-4 (i have been keeping a little eye on it). It's dark but I'll get some pics up tomorrow!
I'm not in a new build, it's an old house but the garden was quite unkempt so we dug out borders and raised them a little then filled back in with some compost. I thought I'd hardened them off but maybe I didn't do it right!

Thanks for the help so far

 

Righto then, did your plants come in those horrible little hairnet things around the roots? ..what kind of compost did you use? Did you just put the compost on top of the soil - or mix it in?
Have you watered the plants while the sun was on them?
The plant in your photo looks thirsty to me.

 

The soil in your pic looks a bit dry to me. Maybe give them another water but don't overdo it.

 

Hi,

Well am bit west of Leeds and my gauges have shown 0c and -1c for Wed and Thursday nights, but if it was frost I would have expected more damage around the tops of that plant.

As Fern says it does look a bit dry, though as you said you had watered well and they must have been looking sad before you eased back on the watering.

As you say you hardened them off, then they must have been growing away ok for a while before you put them in the border, so to me it seems to point to a problem with the soil.

Wonder about your "compost" , do you mean bags of the ordinary peat based ones, or say GrowSure Farmyard Manure or bags of something else like fresh horse manure .

If from an actual garden compost heap could there have been something nasty in it ?

If you had used some very raw / strong manure , it could be burning to roots, same if you had added too much fertilizers, granule or liquid.

Think I would suggest taking a pic of the other plants and also carefully lift one of those sick looking ones and lets see what the roots are like, to me thats where the problem seem to be.

You could prove things yourself by just planting some new stock, just a cheap punnet of annuals, from a different garden center to see if they fail, just put straight in, no hardening off.
Another way is to sow a row or two of radish seeds, which should come up in a week if well watered; if the soil is bad they will not germinate or grow more than an inch.

 

Hi. Our friends have mentioned several could be's and might be's. Studying the photo I said to myself straight away. Dry roots. Yes of course we all want to get newly puchased plants into the garden. Might I offer a few tips. Yes your soil does look dry. This is easier for the average garden compared to a park. Water the area the night before planting out. When buying plants whether in cell trays or 9cm pots upwards, don't be afraid to tap the pot off, check the roots and compost. Even garden centers can be laxed at times to watering. Check them out, stand them out of the sun etc. Give them a watering. Don't be in too much of a hurry to plant out.

 

I agree. Our friend might consider a name change. Hey Tetters what's this? Cheer up - you will get loads of help from the friendly lot on here - some of us have been gardening for over 100 years (and we still don`t know it all)........especially me

there was I thinking you were just turned 21.

Seriously. Time, age etc means little with gardening. I started aged five, now seventyeight and still learning.

 

I got some 100l multi purpose sacks from b&m, said they'd feed for up to 6 weeks (I can't remember the brand sorry). I've also got some manure on another border. It's all just on top, I've since realised I've been stupid and it would have been much better drug through..
I've tried to keep watering to after the sun is off the plants so it's 99% been done then. I'm gonna water them for a bit and see what happens, maybe I'm just being silly and they just need watering!
I've still got quite a few plants which are still in the things they come in (like a cell of 6 each individual) so I'm wondering if I should try to save what I can and dig through the soil again to give it a good mix and then replant in the mixed soil?

 

Some of the multi purpose composts you can buy are total rubbish in my opinion. I think your new borders will be much more productive when you have given them a good dig over.....then you can think of a new name - like ''All alive and kicking''
When buying bedding plants, watch out for those hairnet things they often have around their roots... they don`t let the roots through and they don`t let the water in - then the plants die, and you have to spend more money to replace them ( a wicked trick that should be stopped )

 

I've given them a couple of light waterings and they seem to be looking much better. Hopefully my sillyness won't have knocked then too much!
With the flowers which have already started blooming, do I want to be deadheading them straight away? They are still tiny! What about damaged/dead leaves? Should I be removing them?
Thanks