Purple Smoke Bush: dead or still dormant?
derevaun
18 years ago
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Mearth
18 years agoMary Palmer
18 years agoRelated Discussions
Smoke Bush pruning question
Comments (40)I know this is an old thread but maybe someone could help me. I purchased this home in 2012. It had an established, run down garden. I didn't do much the first year because I was more focused on house repairs and renovations. The next year I got to work. Anyway, there are two ancient smoke bush shrubs. One has redish purplish leaves. The other has coppery with a purple tint leaves. Both have multiple big trunks where new growth grows from the top of each. I have no idea what varieties these are but they do leaf out and put out smokes. Anyway, this year, after a horrible winter, one smoke bush is leafing out but the other looks quite dead. Just a few little leaves on the bottom of one trunk only (out of 6 trunks). I don't know what to do with it because it is in a prominent area of the garden. I just heard on the news that this is the lowest rainfall for May on record. Could this be the reason why it's not leafing out? I don't ever water the shrubs but they do receive residual watering when I water the lawn, so I've pretty much counted that out as a reason. Any ideas? I know it's a little late in the season but is pruning an option. I only did a light pruning when I got down to business 2 years ago. Thanks for any info....See MoreButterfly bush dead or dormant?
Comments (37)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....See MoreBugs on Purple Smoke bush
Comments (3)Pear slugs - sawfly larvae. I'm dealing with sawfly larvae on my gold leafed form Sambucus right now (its never had them) but mine are the kind typically found on roses, or rose slugs, which are still sawfly larvae causing same damage, they just aren't black. I think I've squashed 30 in the last two days and I found them early as the shrub is right next to a hose/faucet I use often. I'm going to give it a few more days and see what kind of control I can achieve hand picking/squashing. Here is a link that might be useful: WSU Pear slug...See MoreSmoke tree and smoke bush cut back
Comments (5)welcome to the forums dave.. if you are going to hang around.. add your location on your member's page ... and if you dont think that is important.. i cant really tell you when its going to resprout .... e.g compare sara's z9 to my z5MI .... anyway ... i am pretty sure you could run this over with a cement truck and not kill it.. so stop worrying about that ... and with no insult to the root mass ... i would expect it to be back to the size you cut down.. in a year or 3... depending on location ... you might want to think about removal.. next time it tries to take over the yard ...unlike children.. you dont have to keep problem plants ... lol... unfortunately.. i dont remember if they bloom on new or old wood.. someone else will have to tell us if it will bloom this year .... so.. at worse.. you lose this years bloom ... ken...See Morederevaun
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