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Garden Gate:  Butterfly Bush questions...  |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 06:49:40 AM
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I planted a gorgeous butterfly bush last year (black knight, I think it was called) and this spring, I've been waiting and waiting for some action, but it just looks like a dead twig sticking out of the ground. I cut it back a few weeks ago, based on advise in our local garden section of the paper, and now it has ONE leaf. I'm just not sure it's going to grow all that vigoursly.....seems like this happened the last time, also, but I didn't cut it back.
Anyone have any luck with these butterfly bushes coming back year after year? What do you do/don't do? I've seen some that are HUGE and it makes me feel like a shmuck!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 06:55:30 AM
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Jonni -
I am not sure what to tell you. I bought my butterfly bush at Home Depot about 8 years ago and it has done great. One year it split at the base and I just propped it up with some large rocks and covered the split with dirt and it healed itself. I usually prune mine in the fall severely every other year and every year trim it a bit in the spring. I have spread steer manure mulch around it a few times in over the years in the fall too to give it a bit of extra food, but otherwise I have not done much with it and it is about 10' tall.
Anne in Portland
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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knewslady
True Blue Farmgirl
555 Posts
Kathy
Russellville
KY
USA
555 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 07:52:21 AM
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I would go and scrape the bark, if you see green, it is still alive and maybe the frost has just set it back. If you scrape and don't see green, it could it didn't survive the last cold spell. We always cut things back in the fall because they are going dormant then.
Kathy
Will always be a farmgirl at heart
Visit my online shop at http://thebackfence.etsy.com |
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AliShuShu
True Blue Farmgirl
150 Posts
Alison
Charlotte
NC
USA
150 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 08:01:32 AM
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Anne,
you sound like you're knowledgable about pruning... when you say prune "severely", can you elaborate or explain exactly what you mean by that? my partner & i are in a debate about pruning flowering bushes... she doesn't want to prune them because they're so pretty... i get a little crazy when they get too big... i will admit that i went a little crazy last year when i took the azaleas & camellias in the front of our new house down to the ground, but she doesn't want to trim ANYthing!!! and her defense is that the bushes i "trimmed" last year haven't shown any growth... (they did have some leaves a month or so ago, but the frost killed those... i say they will come back.. she is dubious). what say you?
thanks!
Alison
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace
Namaste'
www.shumusings.com |
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City Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Deb
Chattanooga
TN
USA
1402 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 08:12:56 AM
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I always cut my butterfly bushes down to the ground in the spring. It kills me to do it because the birds love to hide in the dead branches (it's near the feeders). But they always come back. I bought 3 at the farmers market about 6 years ago and they've been doing well. Not sure what kind they are.
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The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,--
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
Dorothy Frances Gurney |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 10:17:35 AM
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Butterfly bushes...Oy! While all printed material says to prune them, my experience has been that not all of them can handle it. I don't know *why* but some respond better to pruning than others do. DH and I have one in our backyard that we bought the first year we moved here (9 years ago.) The first three years, we pruned it faithfully - but we just kept getting wimpy foliage and flowers. Then the fourth year, DH decided he was going to rip it out at the end of the season, so why bother pruning it?
Well...let me tell you - that butterfly bush *EXPLODED* with both foliage and the prettiest mini purple blooms that year. And has continued to explode in growth and additional vegetation every year since. We don't prune it any more. For whatever reason, either that specific variety or our specific bush cannot handle it.
~ Kaylyn ~ (Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/
My Life: http://vintageredhead.blogspot.com |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 1:22:54 PM
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Alright. I guess I'll see if I get TWO leaves or not before I jerk the thing out of the ground :) I've given up on a couple of things this year, sadly. I finally pulled a lace cap hydrangea out yesterday, that hasn't done anything in 4 years.
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with tempermental butterfly bushes, though. I love them, the birds and the butterflies love them, so I'll probably just buy more and see what happens.
Thanks, gals, as usual.
J
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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Bee Haven Maven
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
Beverly
Pennsylvania
USA
1862 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2007 : 3:32:36 PM
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My experience has been good with butterfly bushes....mine have not yet erupted...they still look like twigs...so don't despair. I cut the heck out of them at the end of each winter...usually down to just about 8 inches exposed....and they always make a comeback!
Keep Smiling.....Bev
Bee Haven Acres
http://beehavenacres.blogspot.com/
http://beehavenmaven.blogspot.com/ |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2007 : 06:55:58 AM
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Alison -
Severly meaning, cutting it low - I don't go all the way to the ground, but within 2' to 3' and not every year. Mostly it is to get rid of anything that is kinda died back, looks a bit diseased or "wilty" and to keep it from spliting when I get the heavy winter winds or ice. I have never been afraid to prune (growing up on a blueberry farm where you prune bushes every year) - I know some are a bit afraid. If I am not sure how to prune something, I look it up either in a book or on the web - most times they will provide a diagram that show the areas to cut.
Anne
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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steeleyedjack
Farmgirl in Training
32 Posts
Constance
Erwinna
PA
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2007 : 07:23:35 AM
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Jonni,
Butterfly bushes are considered weeds in some parts of the country!! As long as it is getting 6 hours of daylight per day, it should do just fine. They can be like some ground covers, the first year they creep, the next they crawl, and then they run.
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2007 : 12:55:59 PM
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I finally gave up on butterfly bushes. I had one for 5 or 6 years. It was huge and beautiful. Then we had a REALLY bad winter and the darn thing 'up and died' on me. I had done everything for that bush but take it in the house and give it a bed. I love hydrangeas, too, Jonni. I've been babying an Oak Leaf for 3 or 4 years now and last year it finally looked good.(The Oak Leaf variety is VERY expensive around here and I found one half dead, looked like they swept the floor with it) at a late summer garden nursery sale. Of course, this year the late freeze did a number on it and I'm now talking to it, patting it's little branches and begging it not to die! LOL
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl
1262 Posts
Rhonda
USA
1262 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2007 : 8:41:21 PM
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Jonni, here in NW Indiana, my butterfly bush dies completely back to the ground each year. Seems it is one of the last things to green up in the spring too. No sign of anything on mine yet...but it has always come back. Maybe give yours a bit more time.
After it gets going, my bush grows tall & blooms profusely. I just cut off the dead wood to the ground after I see new growth, and leave it to die back in the fall. It seems to require very little care.
Rhonda.
I'm a one girl revolution. |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2007 : 06:02:36 AM
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Rhonda--that sounds exactly like what mines up to....It just looks like a dead stick. I noted a leaf close to the base of the "stick" where it meets the earth, so I'll give it some time and I'll see what happens with it. The growing season has been so strange, here, with a severe cold snap a few weeks back that seems to have wiped a lot out. Usually, by now my "flags" are blooming right along with my pink tea rose bush, but there aren't any buds on that rose bush yet.
Janice...I'm crossing fingers for your oak leaf hydrangea. Keep petting!!!! That's the loveliest of the lovelies, I think. The reason I bought the lace cap was that I couldn't afford the oak leaf, and wanted a "different" type, so I went with the lace cap. I so wanted my little lace cap to be a stunner. Oh well. Hey! We have a GIANT oak leaf hydrangea here at my office--do you suppose I could take a couple of cuttings and make a start? I've never done that before, so I'd need some guidance. Hint Hint 
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4738 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4738 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2007 : 08:19:34 AM
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I had a butterfly bush at my old house. Every fall I cut it down to the ground. It didn't reappear until early summer. Then it would take off & grow like crazy. It was very beautiful & I'm hoping to put one somewhere here at this house. My problem is lack of full sun areas in my yard. Be patient & perhaps your butterfly bushes will fill in before you know it.
Dawn in IL |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2007 : 12:01:12 PM
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Well, that explians why mine doesn't do anything. I have had this plant for a little over a year. Did not know I was suppose to cut it back. Guess whats getting a hair cut this fall!
thanx for the info.
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom. |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2007 : 12:23:32 PM
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WE call those the "birthday bushes" here because they start blooming profusely the first week of August (son's b-day week)! He thought when he was small the butterflies came for him! Anyway... I have two green leaves right now and have no fear that before too long they will erupt with new growth for you too. Remember that they only bloom on this years growth so you still have a chance! I prune judiciously in the fall but only to maintain the space it is planted. They do look "ugly" a good portion of the year so a not prominent spot is best. PRUNING RULE: If it blooms in the spring, prune after bloom. Many plants set their flower buds by fall for the coming Spring so if you prune in the Fall you will lose a good portion of the next seasons bloom. Fall "cleanup" should NOT include shearing flowering bushes. That's my two cents worth!
with a happy heart |
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Bee Haven Maven
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
Beverly
Pennsylvania
USA
1862 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2007 : 03:34:47 AM
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Hi Jonni, just checking back in with you....any growth yet? Our butterfly bush just erupted with little leaves down around the base of it this week....up til that time it looked dead. Has yours had any activity yet?
Keep Smiling.....Bev
Bee Haven Acres
http://beehavenacres.blogspot.com/
http://beehavenmaven.blogspot.com/ |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2007 : 11:14:57 PM
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| Hi girls, I have 4 butterfly bushes. The one I have in front of my house is bigger and a black knight. I never cut it back. It is the last thing in my yard to do anything in the spring, but by June it looks great and by Independence day it is alive with color and butterflies and birds. The other 3 are in my back yard, they are not so big, because my husband always runs over them with the mower on the first mow of the spring, apparently he forgets they are there. Argghhh!!!!! They follow the same pattern as my front bush, last to leaf out, but great by mid summer and they all bloom well into the fall. so, I think you should be patient with your bush, and I do not think it really matters if you prune or not. I had a clematis that I was told to prune drastically, and it never came back after I did that. Then, I have these hydrangeas, what kind I do not know, but my husband accidently mowed them one year and they have been better ever since then. Who knows...do it if you have time, but do not worry if you dont have time...jess |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2007 : 06:30:47 AM
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Hey girls. I was just going to report...
We now have 10 leaves and about 3 inches of growth....so, I guess I'm on track? I went out and bought another this weekend just to have a "safety"
I think it's a pinkish one, so now those little critters will have two to choose from!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2007 : 08:45:53 AM
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I am an avid believer in Garden Sharing,,,I plant for myself as well as the birds, butterflies & bees.
I have the most happiest bees & humming birds thanx to my very happy lavender & pinapple sage plants. I also have a family of Scrub Jays,,,we have 2 this year that will land on our hand & take peanuts from our hand. When I hear them in the trees, I hold up a peanut, call out "scub scrub" & yep they come flying in for their peanuts. It's fun to watch them watch us....
Hopefull my Butterfly Bush will give us flowers. It has plenty of leaves, just no sign of flower buds yet...
Gardens are ment for sharing.
tata-4-now
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom. |
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Beecharmer
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Kelly
Richland
WA
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - May 08 2007 : 03:16:16 AM
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Patience my dear, patience. I've had several butterfly bushes I couldn't kill if I tried. Baby it, some extra water if its dry. Maybe some fish fertilizer if it makes you feel better. Next year wait until you have leaves before pruning and just clean it up don't cut it to a twig. I think you'll be surprised at how forgiving that plant is.
GrayHawk Farm
Prosser, WA |
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Garden Gate: Butterfly Bush questions... |
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Butterfly Bush questions...
