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wjl11

Butterfly Bush in Container, Winter Care

wjl11
9 years ago

Hello,

I have a butterfly bush in a container and I need some guidance on how to care for it over the winter months.

In zone 6a (NY).

Do I bring it inside when the temps dip below 40?
Do I cut it back now (fall) or in the spring?

Thanks,
W

Comments (10)

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    Try not to let the soil get soggy this late in the growth cycle. Prune it hard after the frost knocks it back. Over-winter in an unheated garage. Toss a little snow on the plant from time to time to ensure the soil doesn't dry completely.

    Lift the plant from the pot in spring before the onset of the spring flush (of growth). Bare-root it and prune the roots back quite hard. Repot into a larger pot and a soil that allows you to water correctly whenever you water. Following those directions, you can keep your plant happy in a pot indefinitely. Be sure to fertilize regularly. I use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for all my woody plants.

    Al

  • wjl11
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Al!

    So, when it hits 32 degrees, prune it back and place it in the garage?

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    No. Leave it outdoors until the temps start dropping into the mid-20s. Try to keep it on the dry side during the wait. When the first really cold weather comes (below mid-20s) move it into the garage & keep it on the dry side but not completely dry. It will over-winter like that very well.

    Al

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Usually in ground they are grown as perennials in zone 5 and 6. So I doubt it will survive, well it will survive but may dieback to the ground. I would just leave it out till it goes dormant and cut it back to the ground and bring in the garage. I guess leaving it will not hurt it. It may survive in the garage whole, worth a try. You can always cut back in the spring if top is dead. Purple Ice Delight, Twilight, Royal Red, Dwarf Blue and White Profusion. Are the hardiest cultivars. Some will die in zone 5 or 6.
    Good luck!

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    Again, winter-hardiness of no concern in this venture-these would be summer-only, the Buddleias removed in the fall and heeled into our holding nursery for whatever later use may happen. I am looking only for recommendations or experiences with Buddleia as a container plant during the growing season-no attempt will be made to overwinter in these containers.

    Anybody?

    +oM

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I would ask in a different forum. Many who grow these would not come here. Like maybe the butterfly garden forum. I had one in ground only. It died this last winter. I have yet to replace it. I don't see why it would be a problem. Many have trees, huge blueberry shrubs in pots, anything can be grown in a pot. Orange trees, figs etc.
    My only comment is I do find it strange to heal in a perennial. Like healing in tulips. Well it's not a perennial but certainly behaves like one in your zone. Dies back to the roots, comes back up every year. That is what mine did.

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    Yup-we may place any survivors into new homes if they make it to a second year.

    I'm more after the aesthetics of what I propose: We need color-lots of glorious color, in these big pots. I'm used to using high-octane annuals in these things, and we've got a good maintenance regime. We really squeeze every last bit of color out of our plantings each year. My only concern with the Buddleias would be if they sulked, marking time, when maybe another plant would have been off to the races already.....that sort of thing.

    +oM

  • farnwood
    6 years ago

    Does the same hold true for a patio tree in container Zone 6. Blue Buddleia patio tree.

  • Donna Fowler
    5 years ago

    There are several varieties of miniature butterfly bushes that I have noticed in planters around my neighborhood here in Idaho. They seem to really thrive. The regular ones in my yard get 8-10 feet tall in the summer. I guess it depends on the size you want, but some definitely do well in pots.