Dracunculus vulgaris problem

Question

I have a Dracunculus vulgaris planted on the side of my rental house. For the first 5 years it bloomed amazingly well – I did nothing to care for it. Partial shade, clay low-quality soil covered with gravel. I believe the part sun/part shade is the reason I have many stalks and flowers as opposed to one giant flower. Last year, the plant was pelted with a bad hail storm and didn’t grow much of bloom at all. This year, a lot of stalks started growing well, then all wilted and died when they reached 10″ or so. What should I do so they grow again next year? Do I need to dig up the bulb? Fertilize?

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Answer 1

This plant will thrive in bright sun, but in order to bloom it needs partial shade. Perhaps something has changed in its environment? I'm also wondering if it got too hot in Oregon earlier this year.The plant may be suffering from scale, which can be difficult to detect. Here's a link to several articles about scale and how to treat it. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/search?q=scale-insect-control
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/dragon-arum-lily/growing-dragon-arums.htm