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Butterfly bush - late to leaf out or dead?

16 years ago

Hello everyone,

I planted several new shrubs last fall. Some of them are in bloom now, some of them are just leafing out. Buddleia davidii 'Santana' looks dead to me. Should I remove it or it is too early for it to leaf out? I thought the 'Midnight Wine' Weigela and 'Little Honey' Hydrangea did not survive, but they are starting to grow new leaves finally.

Please give me an advice on 'Santana' baby.

Thanks in advance,

Alina.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
i seem to recall that they are very late to come up

in my zone 5 ... they died back to the ground every year ...

only time will tell if they are dead ... be patient.. ken
bluesky_girl
16 years ago
Ditto. I have grown several types of butterfly bushes and they usually die back to the ground every winter. Don't give up on them until late June. And make sure you weed around them so they do not have to compete with any weeds.

Margie
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Agreed, BB's should be left alone until you see new growth in the spring. Yours looks fantastic! Great job! Those pieces on the ground each want to grow a new bush for you... (enable, enable...) Mine were green all winter and one of them has buds that should open in the next few days. It's wild how early everything is happening in most places. I swear when I lived in OH (5b), it was the norm for BB's to just start showing leaves about this time, mid-April. Am I remembering correctly? Since BB's produce buds on old and new growth, and they do it rapidly all summer, there shouldn't be any fear about removing buds or delaying flowering, especially in this, the year without a winter. Even mid-summer when I'm deadheading, I'm very generous with the cuts when I see weaker, smaller buds in front of a much more robust node, and usually remove that inferior set. Once the branches get too long, they seem to lose their oomph. Still end up with a bush that's taller than me.
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In zone 6a - all three of my butterfly bushes have foliage. One has new growth that is about 2ft high already, one has small growth from the base and the third was later than the others because it is in more dry shade and it just has a couple of stems. Sorry about your Buddleia. I wonder if the problem is that it is a recent hybrid and a dwarf? Sometimes, they are not as reliably hardy.
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Ours have been quite hardy for 8 years or so, until now. They died. We thought maybe we cut them back too soon last year, but, upon checking out another neighborhood home that has/had these bushes for many years, hers were dead as well. Today I visited a Gardens Center and asked one of the horticulturist about them and he said so many people have experienced the same. Apparently, the very cold winter with all the constant precip was the culprit, as you probably suspected.
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Comments (8)
Hi Rane, Today on my walk back from the mailbox I stopped to check and see if there were still seeds on my butterfly bush and there was! To collect the seed, I take an old white (recycled)business envelope out with me. I cut one small portion of a faded bloom at a time, holding the branch so it won't jump once I cut the tip off. I then shake the tiny little tan hair like seeds down into the envy, and then proceed with the next little snipped portion. When I'm done collecting, there is nothing but thousands of the tiny seeds in the envy, with no chaff whatsoever. I have several varieties of butterfly bushes, and on some the seed pods did not open for harvest until sometime in Dec. Good luck! Sue
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alina_1
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the information, I'll wait then.
Alina.
Embothrium
16 years ago
Here in USDA 8 these keep some foliage all winter and are quick and early to bud out, resembling hybrid roses in both of these respects. If your new butterfly bush has no leaf growth at all now, not even the start of new basal sprouts...
alina_1
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes Bboy, I think you are right. No leaves, no buds, no basal sprouts... The last year stems are dry. It is probably a goner :-(
tishfromwis
15 years ago
Don't do it Alina!!! I don't know what zone your in, but in zone 5, as Margie said, they are very late to leaf out. Mine still haven't done anything, but it is still early, only the third week in May. If you are further South, however, they may not have made it like Bboy said...

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