Actually the zones tend to go the other way. A USDA zone 5 is more comparable to an Agriculture Canada zone 6.

Mine died this past winter - all three of them. I started them a couple of years ago and they came through their first winter fine. I mulched them well and although the top died back the roots were good (I expected the top dieback). This past winter I didn't mulch them, thinking that they were more established and so they'd be fine. Big mistake :-(

I think it was too warm for to long over the winter. We were getting above freezing temps through much of January and a lot of things started waking up. Then February came and everything froze. You know the rest of the story...

I also lost my chocolate Ajuga that I didn't mulch. Fortunately I did mulch some of it and that survived. It's a fast grower so I'll have tons more for next year (I can send you a baby next spring if you want).

A note about Budleijas and their zone tolerances - usually their hardiness ratings are for above ground growth. They can be grown in slightly colder zones but the top will die back. This will almost certainly happen for you, and it will definitely happen for me (when I get some more going that is!)

BP

I'm not to sure which variety I have, I think its Buddleia Davidii. It has lavender flowers. Because the area where we live is open (no mature trees or shrubs yet but they're growing) I lose the buddleias every winter. It doesn't seem to matter how much protection I give them from the wind or how much I mulch they seem to die from the cold temps. Since it's so easy to start them from seed, I start new ones every Jan. By the end of the season they have grown 3-4'. Other than that, I guess I could always grow it in a container and overwinter it in the shed. I'd love to find other colors. Where did you buy the seeds for your red ones? Marg

Marg,

The seeds for the reds I got from a trade. They are still quite small, and if they make it through this winter, I'll be surprised. I'll be keeping them in the holding bed over the winter with a good mulch. Since I got them from a trade, I'm waiting to see if they come true to put them in the ground so it might be next year by the time I do that.

I'm surprised that your Buddleias don't make it. Do you wait long enough to determine they haven't made it through? Mine sometimes only surface in early June, but then they catch-up quickly. They are late risers.

Bonnie,

I instinctively knew I had that zonal thing wrong, but went against my better judgement. :O) Thanks for the correction. Appreciate it!

My tops die back too, but last year one didn't. I let it grow. It went to 12 to 14 feet and was HUGE. But that's the last time I won't trim back. Out of 4 mature ones I have, it's THE one that died this past winter. One which is only 1.5 feet away is doing fine.

Sorry to hear that you lost yours this past winter. I'll definitely have some seeds of the lavender if you want some. You too Marg!

Would be nice to get seeds of that new one - you know the bi-colored one?!

We bought our farm in 2000. The first buddleia was moved up there, the plant was already 3 years old so I thought it would be ok. I planted in front of a row of pine trees to give it some protection from the strong winter winds. It survived one year and was slow to come back. The second year it died. Last year I planted 4 seedling buddleias in the garden. It was a more open area. In the fall they were all 3' high. I mulched heavily with straw and put up a lattice 'cage' around them, but none survived. I waited until the end of June and still saw no signs of growth so assumed they were goners. Now I'll start some new ones each year and treat buddleias as an annual. Once we have our house finished (we finally started building this year) there should be a microclimate spot I can plant one in. I already have a package of seeds ready to start and am raring to go! (The trouble is holding back.) Marg

I have a Buddleia Davidii "nano purple" that I bought last summer. I planted it on a hill because I didn't have it's permanent spot ready yet. I moved it this spring and it is doing fine. I never mulched it last winter but it came through just fine, even after the big thaw and refreeze. Now I'm worried it may not come back next year. Time will tell.

HELP! I bought 3 1 gallon purple knights. planted in full sun and have water. every day the leaves look like the plant is droopy and dehydrated. It does not look like it is taking to the soil well. any suggestions. Help. Thank you.

Buddleias are best planted in the spring if you want them to overwinter. Also smaller plants are easier to transplant than the bigger ones, even though they are often sold in big pots. Try propping a lawn chair or some other shade producing board over your plants for a while. They are probably suffering from transplant shock, being dumped out of their 1 gal. containers and put immediataely into full sun. The roots need time to adjust to the change and produce new rootlets. No amount of water will prevent them from wilting a bit just now. Water them normally, but do not overwater. You could try cutting the stems back a bit if the plants are quite large. They will regrow quite quickly and bloom later in the summer.

I quite agree with ontnative`s remedy. you can probably create shade with 4 bamboo poles and some sheets.

Next time over, don`t plant anything during the height of summer. Wait till late august or early september when the weather has cooled down a bit.

I think I must be the only person who can't grow a Buddleia, but it's a fact. I was given one three years ago, planted it and it hated the spot. Moved it and it's not crazy about this one either, in spite of it being a lovely sunny spot. Our soil is clay with little top soil. The leaves come out fine and before they are fully formed, they start to turn yellow. Does it need feeding, more soil, mulch? Is some awful bug eating it?
Thanks,
Susan

My soil is also clay but I did some double digging to improve the soil. Meaning I mixed in triple mix into the clay breaking it up into a better medium.

I'm not sure what you meant by 'it's not crazy about the spot' you had transplanted it in. When did you move the plant? Was it recently? If you had only moved it this spring, the roots may not have had time to develop, and then the plant started to form leaves as they normally would do in spring. when you describe the leaves turning yellow - is it wilting? or just yellowing? yellowing is a mineral deficiency. Wilting means the plant isn't absorbing water well which is normal for transplants. Did you prune the plant short when you transplaned it? Too big a plant will cause it to be strained. You would need to cut it to a small size so it can conserve its nutrients as it recovers. Do not provide it any fertilizers which are not good with recent transplants. Fertilizers on full strenght will burn the roots. Instead there are transplant feeds available which you could use. water but don't over water. Overwatering causes nutrients and good minerals to be washed off.

I have 2 Adonnis Blue's, the smell is amazing from the flowers. I have successfully overwintered them in Zone 5A by wrapping Arbortex (the white felt type cloth sold in autumn in garden centers) over and around it, and mulching the base well. It then reshoots from the old wood the following year, an amazing show instead of waiting to grow from the roots.

I just planted a dwarf Buddleia that I got on sale ($2) from Zehrs/Loblaws. I think it must be either Blue Chip or Petite Snow White. Hasn't bloomed yet so I don't know the colour. I generally like to plant my new Buddleias in the spring to give them better winter survival ability. I think I will look for that Arbortex material you mentioned in your post, donna_jj, to cover it with this fall. Thanks for the tip.