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ciagardener

Butterfly Bush

ciagardener
14 years ago

I have a large butterfly bush that is over 5 years old it has now wilted and I am sure it is dying. My daughter had the same thing happen to hers last year only it was a young plant. Have any of you out there had this problem or know the reason. Thanks

Comments (5)

  • DYH
    14 years ago

    The leaves will sometimes wilt during the heat of the day. Does it perk up again by morning? Are the leaves crinkled looking or just limp? Any brown or black spots or bites on the leaves?

    Sometimes buddleia will look wilted from too much water, too. Does the soil drain well? We've had a lot of rain here.

    Last year, a lot of rain with wind partially uprooted several of my large buddleia last June. I went ahead and pruned the blooms and foliage back to lighten up the load. I had to almost replant them from the uprooting, too. They not only recovered from the heavy pruning, but bloomed beautifully for late summer an fall.

    Check the roots to see if they've come up out of the soil any from too much rain, or if the soil isn't draining (like clay). Look for root or crown rot.

    If the base of the plant looks healthy, then trying pruning off a few stems. Check a few days later to see if new growth has sprouted. If so, then I would give it a good trim to get strong growth on it.

    That's all I can think of right now. Perhaps others have more to offer.

    Cameron

  • pfmastin
    14 years ago

    ciagardener,
    I lost a 'Guinevere' last year at age 3 with the same symptoms. I blamed it on 2 years of drought/stress but I really don't know what killed it.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    14 years ago

    I've never had one die in 9 years but I will water them if we go weeks without rain.

  • aezarien
    14 years ago

    I have had them die from over-watering which is easy in clay soil, as Cameron suggested. I have one now that is doing great in the clay but it is not mulched.

    As Cameron also suggested, crown rot could be an issue if the crown of the plant is below the soil level. Even if you plant it at soil level, if you dug the hole deeper than necessary and back-filled the hole with loose dirt, you can end up with a crown that sinks below the soil level at a later date. This can create a "bowl" that allows water to sit on the crown. You may want to pull the mulch back if there is any to make sure this isn't the case.

    If there is an under-watering issue they can be forgiving depending on the damage done. I have had them lose all of their leaves and still grow more and recover. I have not had one come back from over-watering but I have seen some plants make remarkable recoveries if the roots and crown are allowed to dry out some.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    14 years ago

    Oh well....overwatering hasn't been an issue here :)
    Hopefully our drought is over though.

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