Nevermind - they needed to adapt and are now thriving. Just needed a lot of TLC, watering, a nice pillow of mulch to keep the ground from drying out below them. I even have a couple of lovely little toads living beneath them now.

So for anyone whose Butterfly Bush are being burned in the wind and relentless sun - just keep them hydrated and mulched - they will adapt.

This post was edited by renkma on Wed, Jun 5, 13 at 9:35

Agreed, plenty of both down here! Glad your shrubs are looking better.

I'm going to disagree....just watering a plant will not defend against drying winds.....especially in winter.
There's nothing dryer than a winter wind.

Let's examine one other surface that we know well of the drying affects of wind.
Our skin....is one of the most dry surfaces that we are constantly aware of.....and we spend billions of dollars on lotions to help prevent its affects.
Yet, we probably put loads of water onto ourselves with shower, and baths and otherwise.
Then we rub the lotion on.

So I say again....watering doesn't defend against wind.
Sure, it can help a plant to not dry out...but that's the roots job.....sending moisture up into the leaves.
In the meantime, the wind is doing its best to dry them out.
Showering a plant with water wont do much to allay wind damage....in fact, water on some plants' leaves is what we don't want. (roses come to mind)

Build the wind barrier and use it whenever (wherever) wind can affect your plants.