In my new claypit/garden I was pleased to find 4 B. davidii exactly where
I
want them in a very sunny spot, ranging from 2 to 5 feet.

I'm very saddened to find that the two larger ones in particular seem very
unhappy. Their new shoots are barely shooting at all and the new leaves
are
small, some are malformed or partly yellow and seem to fall off if brushed
lightly. The chap next door told me that he grew a buddleja some years
ago
and it got to medium size before all the leaves fell off and it died.

Does this sound like it could be the very clay soil causing problems?
Also
they have grass/clover growing right up to the stems which may be bad?
Is
there anything I can do for these existing plants?

many thanks...

I never know if a lack of response means, "don't know", "don't care" or
possibly, "that's so obvious I'm not even going to answer"

In case it's helpful, some things that *are* doing well nearby are some
neglected apple (I think) trees and ground elder, grape hyacinths and
dandelions. Does any of this suggest why the buddejas are doing so poorly?


thanks for any ideas.