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Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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Posted by
phylrae z5a/centralNYS (
My Page) on
Fri, Apr 22, 11 at 21:16
I have my heart set on trying to grow Honeycomb buddleia. My husband & I picked a small one out @ Bluestone the other day. I tried the small Bloomerang variety a few years ago, but had no idea I couldn't plant it in a container & expect it to live thru the winter (labels say zone 5!) lol I loved it but was so disappointed it died.
There are people in my neighborhood who have buddleias (as does a coworker). So apparently some of them are ok in our zone. Is there ANYTHING I can do to improve its chances of surviving our long, snowy, cold winters? Is there a certain microclimate in a person's yard that may be better for it? How deep in the ground do I plant it & would adding extra mulch to in the fall help any?
Thanks so much.
Phyl |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| Certainly not in a container. Anything in a container needs to be hardy to at least one full zone colder than where you are. And don't cut back until spring (not end of winter either.) |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| I grew buddleia from seed last year via winter sowing and planted out almost a dozen clumps of seedlings. They grew fast and one even set a couple flowers its first year. They're all sending out new growth this year so they survived the winter but in the ground, not in containers. I prune mine in spring as laceyvail suggests. I have a couple of established plants I bought--including two from Bluestone Perennials--that do fine in my garden. Good luck with 'Honeycomb.' It sure is a pretty one. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| securely fix it in your mind.. that you are growing it as an annual .. and you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.. and then ... if you do get it to over-winter... you will even be more successful ... though i would not bet the farm on a long life .. just enjoy it every day ... and it will be worth what you have invested ... ken |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| You're received some good advice here already. I keep my Butterfly Bushes well mulched and do not cut back in the spring until I see green growth coming - either on the branches, or if it was a hard winter, green growth at the base of the plant. Then, you can cut the entire plant back to about 10 to 12 inches or just trim the dead ends of the branches that do not get green leaves coming out. Cutting the entire plant back to about a foot keeps it from getting leggy and tall. But, I got flowers a bit earlier last year when I just cut off the dead tips of the branches. This year I'm cutting mine all to about 10 inches tall at the base. Good luck. They are all wonderful plants. Linda |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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- Posted by phylrae z5a/centralNYS (My Page) on
Sat, Apr 23, 11 at 19:41
| Thank you to ALL of you! I will follow your recommendations for mulching & hope for the best. It is small right now and I will plant it tomorrow. And I will enjoy what it does this year as an annual! :0) Phyl |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| I hope you succeed with your butterfly bush. I have the common species (davidii) and do very little for this plant that provides so many positive attributes. I know many people chop it back to a small stump in the winter or spring but I let mine grow up to provide partial screening from neighbors--it is semi-evergreen here anyway and the yard is big. I also cut the lower branches and try to create more tree-like standard specimens. (Love the light shade they cast and airy effect.) They are planted along a long, 8 foot fence--so there is shelter from cold westerly winds. Mulching is beneficial to the winter survival of most any plant I would think. Good luck! |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| Buddleia grow fine in zone 5. They like slightly alkaline soil and do best if not cut down until spring as previously mentioned. If it died, it is not because you are in zone 5. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| They don't like to be wet, either. I've killed several in my yard because I've accidentally planted them in a spot that catches water in the winter and spring. If I find a place for them where it's high and dry they survive. Karen |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| Honeycomb is not for your zone. From what I've read it is only hardy to zone 6 at best. One site said it is less winter hardy than other butterfly bushes. I'd get one and try overwintering it in the garage. You can also root cuttings to overwinter inside. Otherwise, it's an annual. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| I've heard that a plant in a container must be hardy to 2 zones colder to overwinter successfully, not just one. Roots are very vulnerable to cold temps and the soil is much warmer than the ambient temperature during the winter, especially with snow acting as insulation. Actually in zone 5, Buddleia can be killed if it is a cold and dry winter. Without deep mulch or snow cover its roots are vulnerable. Also, some cultivars are hardier than others. My 'Black Knight' has proven to be quite hardy in a very exposed location, but it usually has good snow cover and I mulch it with compost and leaves. I would plant your new Buddleia in a warmer microclimate in your yard. Close to the house foundation is good; a sheltered southern exposure is also good. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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- Posted by morz8 Z8 Wa coast (My Page) on
Sun, Apr 24, 11 at 14:06
| Phyl, as mentioned above, Buddleia weyeriana Honeycomb is not as hardy as the more commonly grown b. davidii - the only site or reference I find that says it is hardy below Z6 is .... Bluestone! Even if you buy from them occasionally, I wouldn't use their growing information if I were you, I'd research the plant elsewhere first. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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- Posted by phylrae z5a/centralNYS (My Page) on
Sun, Apr 24, 11 at 14:08
Thanks for the reminder about it not liking to be wet. I have successfully wintered-over agastache in gravelly soil in pots in the garage.
:0) Phyl |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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Thanks again....I emailed them w/my complaint. Now I wish I had selected Adonis Blue. Maybe they will offer a credit, who knows. I did see a few other online nurseries claiming that it was hardy to zone 5.
Phyl |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| I have had a Buddleia in my zone 6 garden for at least seven years without losing it. Every year I cut it back to about 6-10 inches off the ground and it's seven feet tall by the end of the summer. This year, I am not liking what I see. There is very little new growth and a lot of old woody branches at the base. I am surprised because last year, it was full and bushy at the base after cutting back. What surprises me more is that we had the best winter for snow cover that we've had in a long time. It snowed fairly early in the winter and I don't think there was a day all winter without more than 3 feet of snow on the ground. I may replace that this year. I bought one of the new dwarfs last year, 'Peacock' in the fall and that is coming back great. I also ordered 'Adonis Blue' from Bluestone last year and planted it out and when it bloomed it was not 'Adonis Blue' so they credited me and sent me a new one this spring already. I know I am in zone 6 so not sure that will help you in your zone. In my garden, the only areas sunny enough for Buddleia are in the windiest areas of the garden, especially in winter, so I don't think they have it easy. I mulch it year round and don't cut it back until the spring. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| I have two different buddleias that have survived our MN Z:4 winters. They are both in the open but are mulched well and not cut back until spring. One is 12 year old 'Pink Delight' and the other 5 years. Hmm, forgot I ws 'Miss Ruby' last year and potted the seedlings and put them in the veg bed. Will have to go check to see if they survived. Tomorrow... when it isn't raining. |
RE: Can I improve chance of success w/new buddleia?
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| Just a tip - B x weyeriana 'Honeycomb' flowers on old wood so cutting down hard in spring like B davidii would lose you that season's flowers. |
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