I have 3 Snowfairies and all have declined in the last 2 years. they are about 8 years old. i read up on them and a source said they are short lived.

interestingly, one which emerged 3 wimpy stems grew back into a lusty big specimen. i dont think id replace them with the same plant. the foliage is terrific, but its smell is obnoxious. i am not a fan of plants that smell like cat pee. The flowers sre too pale. By the it blooms i want a blue flower more than variegated foliage. Gardeners are fickle. i was in heaven when i found these. my affection is easily redirected.

i failed caryoterious class several times. id buy them on sale in the fall. not until i planted one in mid summer was there a survivor.

Yeah, my Snow Fairy is not the most vigorous plant, although I do take some of the blame because it may not be in an optimal spot.

On the other hand, I was visiting my sister and was amazed by this huge, beautiful variegated plant she had, and when I asked her what it was, she didn't know. I got closer and was looking and I"m like, hey, this is a Snow Fairy!

Once again, my 30 years of gardening, and my endless research into how/when/why to plant things pales in comparison to the luck of a non-gardener haha. Oh well lol.

:)

Dee

Oh yea, "regular" caryopteris planted after mid-summer will likely not survive to see spring IME. I had two give up the ghost on me for no reason this year. Usually if I can get them past the first full year they're fine for a while and them bam! they die out of the blue. These two were well-established, maybe about 5-6 years old. Caryopteris are like the guy who you know is no good for you but he's good in bed so you keep going back...

But the "Snow Fairy"? They're the guy you bring home to meet your parents.

Thise were ”regular” caryopterous that post fall planting. No one told me not to……..

Yeah, mine almost carked. Tiny little stub of c.divaricata Blue Butterflies left. The regular clandonensis looks a bit peaky too.

I had a couple other losses, too: "Fama Blue" scabiosa and willow-leaf sunflower. Both probably just moved too many times. No big loss over the sunflower, but I wish I hadn't lost the "Fama Blue" -- I really love it's flowers, nothing like the short, stubby ones so widely available now. There's one place that I may be able to find a replacement plant, but if not I'll have to go the seed route.

Also lost campanula glomerata, 3 of them. I really liked these but when I re-arranged the beds last fall I had trouble re-locating them and just stuck them in place without much design thought. I was tempted to pick up a replacement but decided against it for the same reason - where to put it? But, it's definitely one I'd buy again if I had a good place to put it.

Add shasta daisy "Spun Silk" to the list of losses, too. I had two plants; both survived but one was so puny I decided to toss it, I just didn't foresee it doing well. The other looks great. She's a beauty, too -- glad at least one survived.

Yep, I lost my adenophoras 'Gaudi Violet'...but I think they were some of those short-lived perennials which literally bloom themselves to death (think perennial wallflowers)

I lost my favorite lupine (had it for 3 years and I know they are short-lived)

But I've got lots of seeds on the way and hopefully can get this color again- I'd love to get them established to self seed, they seem curiously finicky for me.

I can't get lupines to establish for me -- they're pretty much one-seasoners, so I don't even try anymore.