What plant(s) did you kill this year?

Kate Frank, editor

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I had the pleasure of attending the Garden Writers Association Symposium in Raleigh, NC, last week. One of the many highlights of my trip was finally meeting some of the writers and bloggers I "know" online, primarily through Twitter. Among them was Fine Gardening blogger Billy Goodnick. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture our most, um, dynamic blogger on video.

In this video, Billy interviews some of our favorite blogger friends, asking them questions like, "What's your favorite plant you put in your garden this year?" and, "What plant did you kill this year?"

And since this topic is a personal favorite of mine, tell me in the comments: What plants did you kill this year?

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Comments (20)

Jules_allsmiley writes: This was kinda funny!

What did I kill? I am such an amateur.. there are these little floral viney plants that look like little baby petunias, I had 2 in hanging baskets and 1 did well, the other didn't. I don't know why the one died, I did everything the same but it dried up so fast. Sometimes the simplest ones...I kill, argh!! Posted: 7:22 pm on October 12th

Barcello writes: I am in much grander company here than I ought to be! But I want to sing about three hellebores which I planted last summer, in front of my northwest facing house (shade, you see). First up to bloom was in Feb, through an ice covering. I couldn't believe my eyes, lovely rosy, sweet thing. Next up was later, and white (no latin descriptives, sorry) and last a deep, deep purple. This summer they've leafed out beautifully, so looking forward to more miracles this winter. Also, my neighbor thought the tuberous rooted begonias in the pots on my doorstep were artificial!

I "lost" six of the nine tomato plats I put in. Survivors were Marglobe, Rutgers and Red Rose. I too have had luck with San Marzanos but not this year. Very wet spring. Posted: 4:27 pm on October 7th

ask210 writes: May have killed my French(?) lilac-- too much pachysandra around it. Definitely killed various irises--too much sweet woodruff around them. Watch those ground covers!!
Best plant--my butterfly bushes (variety unknown). After planting just one on a recently dugup hill, many others sprouted up to cover the hill beautifully! It was totally unexpected. Posted: 12:52 pm on October 6th

theseedlady writes: Oh, and I killed my lost sought Leptospermum Manning's Choice by torturing it in a pot for too long before transplanting. I've turned into Jim Wentzel, noted plantkiller extraordinaire. Posted: 3:37 am on October 6th

theseedlady writes: what the...what's this about Buddleyia being illegal in California?? huh? tell it to the growers, for gosh sakes.
Can't imagine that it is illegal, and Stipa tenuissima is Not??? or Geranium incanum, the plant that ate Chicago.

My favorite plant this year has been a lovely single fuchsia, don't know the name. Couldn't find Tinker Bell, so settled for this cute 4" long cerise/white bloom. Absolutely covered in blossoms.

I killed my bed of maidenhair fern--didn't realinze my irrigation system was malfunctioning this summer when I was away; came back to black dried-up fern. sniff. Posted: 3:32 am on October 6th

steVBaBEE writes: several hydranges. I went crazy,Niko ,spearment,lime light, lady in red,bluebird,little lamb. See I didnt kill anything. Posted: 10:20 pm on October 5th

luvstosew writes: I didn't kill anything! The terrible drought we've been having on the Northern Neck of Virginia took care of that. Out of eight leucothoe fontanesiana planted last year, seven succumbed to the drought. I was forced to supplemental water and pay a fortune in water bills and still watch things keel over! Then there were the voles who wiped out a swath of Huchera "Purple Petticoats" and even the skimmia planted next to them. Rabbits seemed to enjoy the border of impatiens and caladiums in front too! I hope my winter of sewing is more productive than my summer of gardening! Posted: 4:42 pm on October 5th

kells writes:

I killed a 3/4 dead purple berberis that I had ornamentally pruned (bonsai formation)--it just couldn't recover it's previous status. (*And my ego can't take the truth that one of my plants actually died--I guess this years 'plant whisperer award' will go to someone else).

I'm arching my back over flowering plants again--a renewed love affair from a long daliance of strictly architectural and chromatic relationship type plants--this year it was 12 to 14 inch dinnerplate monster dahlias and Terry Dowdeswell's New Millenium 'Pagans Purple' and 'blue funk' delphiniums.

...Oh, and that super tall growing flowering prehistoric tropical plant that grows over eight feet high? What the hell is the botanical name of that thing again? Bagh!!! Nomenclature! Posted: 4:18 pm on October 5th

Jean_DigGrowCompost writes: Enjoyed the video. Favorite plant this year is probably the Salvia leucantha. Or maybe the Moonflower vine. Ok, I know. It's Turks Cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) just because it's hard to get here.

I killed a couple things but what hurt the most was that both of my sages, Purple sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurea’) and Dwarf Sage (Salvia officinalis “nana”), died. Too much rain after a month and a half of drought I think. Posted: 2:28 pm on October 5th

DaveTheGardenDude writes: I missed the symposium, unfortunately, but glad to be able to find and follow so many fine garden blogs and people. Thanks for the video link.

What I killed? The list is long this year as I cut back on water to such a degree. The worst fatality was probably my variegated botanical wonder, a X Fatshedera lizei 'Media-Picta' that was given to me by a couple of horticultural friends who own a nursery called "Degrees of Green". It was a sad day to see it's shriveled remains. I also lost my third attempt at planting a restio near my outdoor sink area. -pretty sure a gopher got that one, so I can't really take credit for it's demise, but I can't figure out why I can't grow one of these! It was one of the more frilly ones, Restio tetraphyllus, I think. Darn.

Looking forward to following everyone on their blogs!
Happy Gardening! -Dave Posted: 12:58 pm on October 3rd

dinzie writes: Chicken Bush - too Funny ... Cruel - but funny :O)

1 bloke in all those interviews !!!!

How do you kill a whole line of leeks !!!

Ah - see you needed the New Zealand Tea Tree much more tolerant of American gardeners :O)

D Posted: 12:01 am on October 3rd

Noturf writes: My favorite plant is Turnera subulata. But I confess that
the list could be up to twenty, based on their resistance to
drought, shape, height, no need to maintenance often and aesthetics. Posted: 4:29 pm on October 2nd

Olivia54984 writes: Ah! It takes a really "skillful" gardener not kill plants, but keep them alive and simply torture them throughout the summer, never allowing the plants to achieve their ephemeral garden glory.

I have Lapin cherry I have been torturing attempting to espalier with bricks and string that is very close to throwing up its limbs in disgust and defeat. I also have been spiraling a balsam fir, keeping it at 6' tall, which it seems to actually like-- no pressure to grow tall and perform-- it has all the excuses in the book just to "be".

I didn't actually kill anything.

My favorite, new to me, new plant? It would have to be the red-leaf begonia saxifraga, a ground covering perennial, I planted in my scree garden.

Posted: 10:14 am on October 2nd

PracticallyGardening writes: What a hoot. I'm so sorry I didn't make it to Raleigh. Had I know about the chicken bush sooner, maybe I would have planted eggplant this year.

My favorite plant this year was a Mesabi Cherry tree given to my non-gardening husband last year. It was the first fruit tree to ripen and just produced its little heart out. Next year, everyone to my house for cherry tart.

Somehow, I killed my rhubarb. Actually, I think it committed suicide from neglect. What can I say.

Posted: 5:46 pm on September 30th

mainegardener writes: Kate - Not to worry - looks like we are all plant serial killers. Also, Billy, you were very kind to cut my mispronunciation of heuchera. Posted: 5:08 pm on September 30th

Kate_Frank writes: I killed several containers of herbs (mostly different kinds of mint) because I was lazy about watering them. I should not be allowed to have a container garden until I am responsible enough to care for it properly. Posted: 11:08 am on September 30th

oakleafgreen writes: This is too funny... And NOW I feel like I've gotten more of a sense of what a bunch of you are like in person. Nice job, guys!

Favorite new things: this changes day to day, but I'm going with Rubus cockburnianus 'Aureus' and a baby Aralia cordata I got as passalongs from a friend.

Killed: other passalongs, a mountain laurel and a quince. Oops! Posted: 7:57 am on September 30th

Arcadia1 writes: Billy and Kate- Huge Kudos to both of you. Learned and laughed through the video. Wonderful topic too. Really got people's brains rattled a bit!

What did I kill this year? The centerpiece of my "Ice" Garden entry in the FG Container Contest for this year, a 'Hakuro Nishiki' standard Willow.
I was flattened for a week with an old back injury, and wouldn't ya know? It up and died, while nothing else did. It was quite classy looking, though I have no photographic evidence to back up the inadvertent negligence, the compost company does.
After digging it up, I realized that a crack had developed across the bottom of the trunk at soil level that went horizontally 3/4 of the way around.

Looking forward to more videos! Posted: 8:49 pm on September 29th

Theresa_Loe writes: GREAT video Billy and Kate. Love it!

Love the chicken plant idea and Jayme's reaction to it.

Wish I was around when you were filming!!! Would have loved to be interviewed by you Billy. You did a great job.

My favorite plants this year: Lemon verbena because it smells and tastes so wonderful. And Lemon cucumber which surprisingly does not taste like lemons at all. It just "looks" like a lemon.

What I killed? Um....a few gift plants that I didn't get in the ground fast enough. Bummer.

Keep those videos coming Billy. Posted: 8:15 pm on September 29th

CoolGreenGardens writes: I know, my interview skills need a bit of sharpening, but nobody asked ME what I planted or killed. Ya wanna know? Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel good, are you?

I planted two big containers flanking my front door. One has silver-leafed plectranthus (Plectranthus argentatus) flanked by a Carex glauca and a chartreuse-leaf Ipomea (stunning, simply STUNNING!). In the other pot is Miscanthus 'Morning Light' (only my totally fave ornamental grass) and a flowing cascade of silver dichondra (Dichondra argentea) that spills from the rim. Actually, two spillers--the other one is blue bacopa (Sutera cordata).

Dead stuff: sadly, it's a Leptospermum scoparium 'Apple Blossom' (Australian tea bush) that I intended to train into my first bonsai in 25 years. Alas, missed a critical watering before I got a chance to start torturing it.

Kate: It was a blast getting to work on this. More video to come, I know. Posted: 7:43 pm on September 29th

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