Marsh marigold: normal summer die-back or something more?

[Phaewryn]

My poor marsh marigold is really not looking great, less leaves than when I bought it and it looks less happy every day. Is it just too hot now (it's been up to the mid-80's) and it's going dormant for the summer? The description says "in warmer areas it will wilt back when the summer is hot, but will begin growing again with the cooler weather in fall", but I wasn't expecting it to happen in Vermont, which is not a "warmer area" of the US, and in mostly shade, and in the water, and this does not look like typical "wilting" to me, but I'm not a botanist so maybe this brown leaf curling back and dying is a form of wilting?

I just want to be sure this is normal and that it isn't dying because of my lack of care. I'm worried the splashing from the waterfall it is close to may be making it too wet, as the leaves that are nearest the waterfall are the ones that keep dying, as you can see here. Plus it appears to have sunken a little into the gravel and might be too deep now? Also I'm not sure it's getting enough sun where it is.

Should I do anything or just wait and see what happens come fall?

 

[TheFishGuy]

as reads this article, it generally dies off when the weather gets hot and goes dormant until cooler temperatures rise, after doing some research it looks like this is perfectly normal

Plant Profile: Marsh Marigold

 

[Tula]

I'm in my first season with mine and it looks worse then yours ! I'm keeping my fingers crossed it springs back in cooler weather

 

[Mmathis]

My experience with this plant is that, yes, it dies back in hot weather, but waits for cooler weather to pop back out.

 

[Phaewryn]

Ok, thanks for the reassurance everybody! I shall not stress out about it and see how it looks in October.

 

[poconojoe]

We have a huge Marsh Marigold and had it for many years in northeastern PA, zone 6b. It gets bigger and bigger every year and somehow two others have sprouted up around the pond.

Ours don't flower when it's hot out. They flower in the Spring and the Fall when it's cooler.
They don't really wilt, so I hope yours is going to be OK.
Here's a picture from May, 2020:

And July 10, 2020 (the plant at the lower middle)

Notice how clear the water is in the second photo. It's because I now filter with a bog.

 

[Phaewryn]

We have a huge Marsh Marigold and had it for many years in northeastern PA, zone 6b. It gets bigger and bigger every year and somehow two others have sprouted up around the pond.
Ours don't flower when it's hot out. They flower in the Spring and the Fall when it's cooler.
They don't really wilt, so I hope yours is going to be OK.

Yeah that worries me. Where I live it should not be hot enough to make them wilt (zone 5a), and yet mine is definitely not looking good. It has never looked healthy and plump, like yours do. What does the summer temperature get up to there? I suspect that it's not summer wilt, but something else. It's only been up to the mid-eighties so far this year, and not many days. I'm afraid mine is just not getting enough sun. It gets very little sun where it is (maybe 3-4 hours a day - I know because I have to go in when the sun finally hits that spot as it's where my chair is [about 2:30PM], and I can go back out when the sun is down enough to shade it [about 6PM]). How many hours of direct sun do yours get? They looks so happy. I'm not opposed to moving mine to a happier place, I just need to figure out what it needs.

 

[poconojoe]

It's been pretty warm here the past couple weeks, mid to upper 80's. There is no wilting, the plants look healthy, just no flowers, but that's normal for this time of year. My pond doesn't get much direct sun either. We have a lot of trees.

I'm trying to figure out what the difference is. Our altitude is a slight bit under 2,000 feet. I don't know if that can be a factor.

I dont think your waterfall is hurting it. The water is not directly hitting it.

I haven't tested my water in a very long time. Could Ph be a factor? I'll try and remember to check it and let you know.

Then there's the method of planting. Two of my smaller offspring plants are planted directly in the bog gravel (no pots) and doing great. The original big one in the pictures is growing in a mesh bag planter on a shelf in the pond. The mesh bag is better than a pot. A pot can be restrictive in regards to root expansion and the root's direct access to the nutrients in the water. Is your plant in a pot under that gravel or planted directly in the gravel?

 

[Tula]

Well, mine is minuscule

 

[Mmathis]

@poconojoe and @Phaewryn I live in Louisiana. Anything that likes a cool season isn’t going to do well here, but both of you are better situated, geographically. I have tried many times to grow them, but they never survive our hot summer — they never come back.

 

[Phaewryn]

It's been pretty warm here the past couple weeks, mid to upper 80's. There is no wilting, the plants look healthy, just no flowers, but that's normal for this time of year. My pond doesn't get much direct sun either. We have a lot of trees.
I'm trying to figure out what the difference is. Our altitude is a slight bit under 2,000 feet. I don't know if that can be a factor.
I dont think your waterfall is hurting it. The water is not directly hitting it.
I haven't tested my water in a very long time. Could Ph be a factor? I'll try and remember to check it and let you know.
Then there's the method of planting. Two of my smaller offspring plants are planted directly in the bog gravel (no pots) and doing great. The original big one in the pictures is growing in a mesh bag planter on a shelf in the pond. The mesh bag is better than a pot. A pot can be restrictive in regards to root expansion and the root's direct access to the nutrients in the water. Is your plant in a pot under that gravel or planted directly in the gravel?

I'm at about 500', so not up in the mountains, I live in the Connecticut River Valley. It's planted directly in the gravel, but the gravel isn't very deep, maybe it needs more depth than it has in the 4" of gravel in this pool? I tried to pile it up but it's limited by the depth of the pool which is only about 5" deep if filled to the top (of the weir). I have more gravel, I can certainly add some more and try to give it some more room to grow down (the crown will be more out of the water if the gravel level is raised). I have no idea about my water parameters, I don't even own a testing kit other than high range pH. I can give it a go, but if it's under 7.4 my kit won't show it as it's 7.4 -8.8 range. And I have to find it, I've not even used it since I set up my first aquarium. Everything should be well cycled in the pond, it's been up since uh, around April sometime (I forget exactly when it stopped being frozen, but it's been running with the current water for 3 months minimum), when I had to drain it because a mouse fell in and rotted in the bottom .

 

[Phaewryn]

@poconojoe and @Phaewryn I live in Louisiana. Anything that likes a cool season isn’t going to do well here, but both of you are better situated, geographically. I have tried many times to grow them, but they never survive our hot summer — they never come back.

I just don't think it's that hot here, I worry I've done something wrong. If it had been in the 90's and I was seeing other things show signs of sun/heat damage, I'd chock it up to that and not worry, but it's not been that hot yet. Hoping to correct it before I kill it totally.

 

[addy1]

Mine is gone, but it came back this year. We have had 18 days of over 90 everything is heat stressed. We have another week of over 90 coming up, breaking records.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I just don't think it's that hot here, I worry I've done something wrong. If it had been in the 90's and I was seeing other things show signs of sun/heat damage, I'd chock it up to that and not worry, but it's not been that hot yet. Hoping to correct it before I kill it totally.

I don't have any magical answers to your marsh Marigold problem, but I just wanted to say this: I have been gardening more or less obsessively for going on 4 decades (18 years of which include water gardens). I used to take it very personally when a plant would die. I would obsess over what I did wrong, why I couldn't fix it & (in general) make myself a little crazy wondering what happened. I have learned that sometimes you can do everything 'right' for a plant - correct amount of sunlight, temperatures, water, humidity, etc... and they just refuse to thrive. (On the flip side, sometimes you can do darn near everything WRONG, and they flourish! go figure!)

So, my advice to you is to try juggling things a bit, if possible & practical, & provide the best you can for that plant. If it dies (and you REALLY liked it & want that same kind of plant) try it again, maybe tweeking the environment a bit if possible, then.... see what happens. If it dies again, and you've done your best, perhaps this just isn't the right plant for that spot (it doesn't have to make sense - the plant is the one who decides if it's going to live or die)

The good news? There are about a zillion different plants to choose from, and if this one refuses to live & be all you wanted it to be, then look at this as a chance to try something NEW!!! That's super exciting & helps take away the guilt of having a plant die on you.

 

[addy1]

helps take away the guilt of having a plant die on you

lol I have no quilt, they either live or they die.....................