While DOF is well-chosen, indeed, but I feel there are things about the background that could have been done better upon composing this photo. The bright parts of the background (sky) pull the eyes (which is what brightness does), and the pull is strong, which leads to this confusion on where to look - towards the brighter parts (automatic pull), or to the in-focus (also bright) part of the dead plant which is your subject here.
Maybe, if you had moved the camera UP a bit more, and in a direction to totally exclude the sky, you'd have created a less confusing photo. If you can reshoot, you might want to go and try?