Dusty Miller plant

Question

We moved here to Palm Springs almost a year ago and this is the first summer my dusty miller has spent here. It has always thrived well for several years in a large pot, as I always take it with me when we move. It is located in a partially shaded area and it gets a lot of water but lately it is looking very droopy and the leaves are curling under. It was looking fine until our temperatures hit the triple digits a few weeks ago. I am talking temps of 113-115! I brought it inside last week to an area with plenty of natural light and also gave it a liquid B12 shock treatment but it is still looking sick. Any advice would be great as I hate to lose this plant.

Answer 1

The plant is suffering stress related to the continual changes in temps and enviornmental conditions. The hot weather will quickly stress out a plant, especially those in containers. Typically, they will survive as long as they receive continual water twice daily and protection from the searing, hot sun. If you plan on keeping it indoors, where no doubt it is cooler, then you’ll have to give it time to adjust to the temp change, and will require less watering. Before putting it back outdoors, allow it to acclimate to the outdoor temps rather than just putting it out. You should always slowly introduce plants to new outdoor/indoor environments for a period of 1-2 weeks. Only time will tell how well the plant will bounce back.