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Butterfly Bush
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Posted by skibby 4 Central Vermont (My Page) on Fri, Oct 30, 09 at 14:41
| I put in a butterfly bush this summer and it did very well. The nursery folks at the place where I bought it assured me it is hardy in my zone. Everything I've read since makes me doubt that this is true. I don't want to lose it. My questions are, do you think I should protect it and if so, please tell me how to do it. I've never done this before. What do I use and when? Thanks for any help.
skibby |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| I didn't think these were hardy to zone 4. Did the nursery give you a warranty if it didn't survive the winter? I think it all depends on how much snow you guys get and when. I good blanket of snow will insulate and protect it until late winter or spring when the coldest temperatures have passed. If you don't think you will have a enough snow on the ground then you will have to find another way to insulate it. You can put a cage around it and fill it with hay and then remove it in the spring or you can tie the branches together and bundle them up in burlap. Another possibility is to dig it up, put it in a pot, and overwinter it in an unheated garage or basement. Next year, you can just plop the pot in the ground during the growing season and then dig it up again next fall. |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| They are mostly rated for zone 5, although I have seen "Bicolor" (Monrovia website) listed for zone 4. Even so you may be able to grow the zone 5 types as a dieback perennial because it blooms on new shoots easily, so even if it dies to the ground every year you'd get some color. I'd recommend protecting the roots and crown, and probably expect the upper growth to die in winter. Or maybe your nursery did sell you the "Bicolor" so all will be fine! |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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- Posted by skibby 4 Central Vermont (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 9, 09 at 10:51
| I'm sorry for not following up earlier, I've been sick for over a week. No, tree-o, I don't have a warranty. I'll cover it and hope for the best. Bill, I'll check my records to see if this is Bicolor. Thanks for your help. |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| skibby, one thing I would caution you about is cutting it back to 6-12" early next spring. I read *everywhere* that that's what you are supposed to do with butterfly bushes, and 2 years running I lost the plants. The third year I didn't touch them (I planted 2) and waited til I saw new growth; they are so late to show new growth (late April?) that I was sure they were dead. But they survived and then I just pruned above the new growth. Last year I waited even longer and sprouts were showing about two feet up the branches. I trimmed it back to take advantage of that new growth and this year for the first time I had the 7' tall plants I'd wanted all along (a rainy summer helped too). |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| It's worth a try to grow Buddleia in your zone. It might help to put it in a sheltered location and use a thick layer of mulch. I've read that the darker colored cultivars are hardier than the light ones. My 'Black Knight' has grown consistently well for 5 years in an exposed location, gets blasted with winter winds. At 7 feet tall, it is as big as some of the shrubs in the border, and helps act as a wind screen. I do exactly what Vicki said - wait until new growth appears in the spring, and cut back to nice buds. One year, the Pink Delight sent out sprouts two feet up, so I cut it back higher, and it filled out nicely - almost as tall as the Black Knight. But usually it is not as vigorous. |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| I have grown Buddleia 'Nanho' here (lowest temps -22F) for several years before we moved - haven't gone back to visit it since, but it did fine for about 5 years. I also did as Vicki advised, waiting until it started pushing buds in spring before pruning off dead wood. It always died back to the snow line, but sprouted to about 6 feet and bloomed just fine every August or September. Never had any problems with it seeding into the woods, which I've heard has been a problem in other areas. |
RE: Butterfly Bush
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| Thanks so much everyone. This is good advice, which I will follow. I've got plenty of mulch. Shredded leaves - 57 bags. (Free from a neighbor - and all bagged up!) I've got this planted in an area that's very sheltered. The BB I have is Pink Delight and I really enjoy it. Thanks again! |
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