Question
QUESTION: Last year I bought a purple celosia, which I planted out and it thrived till late oct with brilliant plumes. Bought another this year and all the colour's gone- the plumes have turned grey - the leaves are now purplish instead of the plumes.  Why is this? It's in a large pot in same spot as one last year. Looks very sick.(Live near sea on NE coast.)

ANSWER: Trudi,
I'll list some of the possible reasons for what you are seeing, and you can decide if any of these apply:

1. Did you use new potting soil?  Used or last year's potting soil can contain fungi that cause plants to rot - at the very least, the roots of the new plant have trouble getting established when there are last year's roots in the same container.

2. Were they planted out early on when the temperatures were cool?  This is a plant that really likes heat, and too early planting, or planting in cool temperatures, makes it sort of shut down. I also live near the shore in the NE and in my area - Cape Cod - it was really cold in early June.  If early June was cold where you are too, and the plant was outside then, this could be the problem.

3. Was the plant fertilized when it was dry?  Fertlizing a plant in dry soil causes fertlizer burn, which can cause the symptoms you see. Never fertlize a thirsty plant - water well, then wait a few hours so that the plants get hydrated - then fertilize with liquid fertilizer.

4. Might something else have been poured in the pot? Did you have a party? People pour drinks in a container without thinking.  Or perhaps someone "watered" the plant with something that was not pure water.

These are all I can think of at the moment.  The fact of the matter is that because plants are living things, and living things are quirky, sometimes they thrive against all odds, and sometimes they sulk or die for no apparent reason!  And even professional plant people are often stumped about why a plant is doing what it's doing.

It's only late July...still plenty of time to replace this plant with something healthy from the garden center and the new plant will please you into the fall.

all the best,
C.L.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks very much for comprehensive answer,but unfortunately none of above applies. I didn't pot celosia myself, bought it from a fruit shop, rather than the market gardener I bought last year's from. Perhaps this is the problem?It was vibrantly healthy when I bought it, though,then wilted.Could the soil have just not been fertile enough for it? I do know it's not a plant natural to the UK. Perhaps I should be more careful where I buy plants from in future? Maybe some suppliers don't use right soil for plant?

Answer
Maybe the soil it was potted in was the problem, or maybe the pot was somehow different - too little drainage or too much, perhaps.  Some potting soils are high in peat moss and some plants don't do well in peaty soils, so perhaps this was the problem.  Sometimes growers try a new soil supplier and their new supply isn't as good for the plants.  Or perhaps something happened to the plant shortly before you bought it...too much fertlizer, or some other product spilled on the plant right before purchase etc.

As I probably mentioned in my last reply, we frequently never know why a plant declines...if only they could talk!  But if you think about it, sometimes plants do so well AGAINST ALL ODDS, and we frequently don't stop to appreciate the way a plant thrives even when people do everything "wrong."

Gardening is a a lot like life that way...we take the good with the bad and do the best we can.  Sometimes we are disappointed and sometimes we are surprised and delighted.

all the best,
C.L.