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Hi, Will probably answer my own question here but, moved house in April along with 120 potted up various dug up plants, mostly herbaceous perennials, to re home with many bare root trees too (which were hastily potted up in March). Most are happy; one pear tree after almost 4 months of pathetic growth has just started to shoot. A 4’ Choisya after being in bud all winter then nothing, has literally just started to move too,. A Cotinus whilst breaking bud and leafing out in April immediately entered a coma. Nada, zilch nothing. A Fox tail lily-still sickly green and refuses to budge.
I have also bought a few others including 3 trees, Mulberry, Handkerchief and Tilia Henryanna. A fancy variegated Virginia creeper too.
My question is; whilst when I bought the new plants I knew and accepted, they were in a state of not doing anything, perfectly healthy, no bugs, disease, green and nice looking, not pot bound and not having recently been tipped or pruned. Neither too wet nor dry. But, no active growth- in a self induced coma, as though it is the end of the growing season? Early on set senescing even? So what causes this? Erratic watering? Fluctuating temperature, conditions? Didn’t like the trip in a back of a lorry from Holland? Perhaps merely just out of its comfort zone, I know some plants just hate being in a pot. All of the above I suspect, or hormones!
I have since noticed that there are indeed a lot of plants like this in many garden centres. Are there mysterious things happening that we shouldn’t question? Or, is there a spray that can stop a plant from growing temporally – I know there used to be a product that you could spray grass with to stop it growing to save you cutting it. Though if a GC doesn’t sell one season and plant grows bigger it adds value so perhaps best ignore my theorem.
Is there a technical term to describe the plant when in this state? Resting?
Thanks for reading 
I have also bought a few others including 3 trees, Mulberry, Handkerchief and Tilia Henryanna. A fancy variegated Virginia creeper too.
My question is; whilst when I bought the new plants I knew and accepted, they were in a state of not doing anything, perfectly healthy, no bugs, disease, green and nice looking, not pot bound and not having recently been tipped or pruned. Neither too wet nor dry. But, no active growth- in a self induced coma, as though it is the end of the growing season? Early on set senescing even? So what causes this? Erratic watering? Fluctuating temperature, conditions? Didn’t like the trip in a back of a lorry from Holland? Perhaps merely just out of its comfort zone, I know some plants just hate being in a pot. All of the above I suspect, or hormones!
I have since noticed that there are indeed a lot of plants like this in many garden centres. Are there mysterious things happening that we shouldn’t question? Or, is there a spray that can stop a plant from growing temporally – I know there used to be a product that you could spray grass with to stop it growing to save you cutting it. Though if a GC doesn’t sell one season and plant grows bigger it adds value so perhaps best ignore my theorem.
Is there a technical term to describe the plant when in this state? Resting?
Thanks for reading
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