I hear that Butterfly Bushes are relatively easy to start from stem
cuttings. What's the proper procedure? How long should the cuttings
be? 6" or so? Should there be a blossom on the end of the cutting,
or would it be better to find a stem with no flower on it?

As for deadheading a Butterfly Bush, just where should one make the
cut? Immediately beneath the flower cluster, or just above a
branching node?

Also, any idea as to whether different Butterfly Bushes could be
grafted on to the rootstock of a Butterfly Bush successfully? I have
rather limited full-sun areas, but would still love to have an
assortment of Butterfly Bush blooms.

Thanks much.

-Fleemo

Well I don't know anything about nodes etc but I have been just mowing
over the ones we have at the end of the growing season, and they have
come back just great each year. Seems like they are like weeds, they
just don't go away/ Been doing it this way for years, and the usually
get back to about 5 to 6 foot tall and very bushy each year.

On 13 Aug 2003 12:39:28 -0700, (Fleemo) wrote:

x-I hear that Butterfly Bushes are relatively easy to start from stem
x-cuttings. What's the proper procedure? How long should the cuttings
x-be? 6" or so? Should there be a blossom on the end of the cutting,
x-or would it be better to find a stem with no flower on it?
x-
x-As for deadheading a Butterfly Bush, just where should one make the
x-cut? Immediately beneath the flower cluster, or just above a
x-branching node?
x-
x-Also, any idea as to whether different Butterfly Bushes could be
x-grafted on to the rootstock of a Butterfly Bush successfully? I have
x-rather limited full-sun areas, but would still love to have an
x-assortment of Butterfly Bush blooms.
x-
x-Thanks much.
x-
x--Fleemo

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Buddleias are incredibly easy to start from cuttings but they cannot be too
large or they become hard to root in my experience. No more than 5 or 6 inches
for cuttings, remove all the lower leaves and stick them in the soil. They
will root with 1 or 2 nodes but 2 nodes will root alot faster. No rooting
hormome is necessary. Its better to find a stem with no flower on it, or just
pinch it off. As for deadheading, take the branch back as far as you want.
You could graft them if you want, but they grow so fast that this isnt
necessary, and takes more skill than taking cuttings. This year I took
cuttings from my 'nanho alba' about mid june, the cuttings were about 3 inches
long. It is mid august and I now have finished one gallon plants that are
almost 24 inches tall and loaded with flower buds. Why these arent dirt cheap
at the nurseries is beyond me because of thier incredibly quick finishing time.


Toad

Many thanks for the input here! I sure do love these plants. I only
wish I had more full-sun spots to place 'em.

-Fleemo

Fleemo wrote:

I hear that Butterfly Bushes are relatively easy to start from stem
cuttings. What's the proper procedure? How long should the cuttings
be? 6" or so? Should there be a blossom on the end of the cutting,
or would it be better to find a stem with no flower on it?

Pick a stem without a blossom; try to include a couple of nodes,
they're where a lot of roots will develop. Shorter is better,
all things considered. Fill a container with a drain hole with
sharp sand. Place it in a saucer that will hold an inch or so of
water. Dip the stem ends in rooting powder, and put them in the
sand so that the end is ABOVE the level of the water. When the
stems are well-rooted, you can transplant them to a pot with
good-quality potting soil for a season or so, or directly into
the ground. Start 2-3 times as many stems as you actually want.
That allows for some failures, and lets you pick the strongest
for transplanting.

As for deadheading a Butterfly Bush, just where should one make the
cut? Immediately beneath the flower cluster, or just above a
branching node?

Butterfly bushes are herbaceous, and you aren't going to get
reblooming on the cut stem, so I just always whack them back all
the way to the ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and
keep the bush from getting leggy.

Also, any idea as to whether different Butterfly Bushes could be
grafted on to the rootstock of a Butterfly Bush successfully? I have
rather limited full-sun areas, but would still love to have an
assortment of Butterfly Bush blooms.

Just plant the bushes close together. I've got a 2.5' x 8' patch
that's got 23 butterfly bushes of different sorts in it --
there's three hexed rows, with the tallest varieties in the back,
and dwarf ones in the front row. When they grow each year, it
looks very much like one large bush with a lot of different
flower types. This technique is called dense planting. You can
do it quite successfully as long as you are willing to pay a
little extra attention to the plants. Mine were planted in very
well-prepared soil . . . even after several months of no
attention, it's possible to dig in the soil with your bare
hands. They get a dose of compost three times a year -- in early
spring just before leaf-out, in the middle of the growing season,
and in the fall after die-back. I'm also diligent about making
sure they get deadheaded, and that any diseased matter is removed
immediately. We also make very sure to do thorough fall cleanup
to prevent carry-over of problems from year to year. A benefit
of dense planting are that the display is very full, rich, and
lush. Also, once the plants are established, it's almost
impossible for weeds to take hold . . .they're shaded out. And,
of course, it lets me have more varieties of more types of plants
in my yard without expanding onto yet another acre.

Chris Owens


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As for deadheading a Butterfly Bush, just where should one make the
cut? Immediately beneath the flower cluster, or just above a
branching node?

Fleemo
Either way seems to work. If you have just one large terminal flower
cluster, just cut close to it. If you have a large terminal and two smaller
side clustesr, cut back to above the next node. The flowers will not be
as large as the first bloom. My butterfly bushes are on their third
round of flowers. Love'em!!

These cool nights and mornings are terrific, aren't they?

Emilie
NorCal

Wow, Chris, thank you for that extremely thorough response! Of
course, I have yet more questions to ask.

Fill a container with a drain hole with sharp sand. Place it in a saucer that will hold an inch or so of water.

Interesting technique. Does this rooting technique work well with
most other plants, or specifically Butterfly Bushes?

...so I just always whack them back all the way to the ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and keep the bush from getting leggy.

I'm not sure I follow you here. During the growing season you
wouldn't just cut off the end of a branch after it's bloomed, but cut
the branch all the way back to the ground? Or are you saying don't
bother dead heading, and cut it all the way back at to the ground at
the end of the season?

I've got a 2.5' x 8' patch that's got 23 butterfly bushes of different sorts in it

Wow, amazing. I bet that's beautiful. So what's the spacing between
each plant? Eight inches or so? And how do you apply your compost?
As a compost tea, side digging each plant, or top dressing the area?

Thanks for all your insight!

-Fleemo

In , on 08/15/03
at 08:59 AM, Chris Owens said:

Butterfly bushes are herbaceous, and you aren't going to get reblooming
on the cut stem, so I just always whack them back all the way to the
ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and keep the bush from getting
leggy.

I assume this is done in late fall or early spring?


Alan

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In article ews.com,
wrote:
In , on 08/15/03
at 08:59 AM, Chris Owens said:

Butterfly bushes are herbaceous, and you aren't going to get reblooming
on the cut stem, so I just always whack them back all the way to the
ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and keep the bush from getting
leggy.

I assume this is done in late fall or early spring?

From what I can tell from my neighbor across the street, it's
done about once a month. ;-) She's in a constant battle with
the thing to keep it (mostly) out of the street. She keeps
threatening to get rid of it entirely (a previous resident
put it in), but hasn't decided yet what to replace it with.


Patty

wrote:
: In , on 08/15/03
: at 08:59 AM, Chris Owens said:

:Butterfly bushes are herbaceous, and you aren't going to get reblooming
:on the cut stem, so I just always whack them back all the way to the
:ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and keep the bush from getting
:leggy.

Butterfly bushes are woody shrubs, but, depending on the variety, they may
not be a top-hardy in colder climates. I have found that above-ground
survival and how long they take to 'wake up' is related to the severity of
the winter and whether they are in a sheltered spot or not.

Some species are quite hardy, for instance, Buddleia alternifolia. My
one-year-old plant made it through a nasty, long Zone 5 winter without so
much as a dead twig and was leafing out and blooming well before other
Buddleias were showing signs of life. You could say it came through the
winter with flying colors ;-)

Cheers!

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
================================================== =================
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
^and cats -- Cicero
================================================== =================
On the Web since 1994 Forbes Best of Web 2002

"..........Butterfly bushes are herbaceous .........."

Well here in the UK Butterfly bush is the name given to Buddleja (buddleia)
which is most defiantly a SHRUB, not a herbaceous plant.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Fleemo wrote:

Wow, Chris, thank you for that extremely thorough response! Of
course, I have yet more questions to ask.

Fill a container with a drain hole with sharp sand. Place it in a saucer that will hold an inch or so of water.

Interesting technique. Does this rooting technique work well with
most other plants, or specifically Butterfly Bushes?

I've come to use it with most of my rooting work. It has greater
success rate for me than rooting things in a jar of water;
particularly, I get a whole lot fewer cuttings that develop some
sort of slimy gunk and die from that. I've found that it also
has another advantage: If you root cuttings in water, and place
the container in a window, the sun will cook the cuttings . . .
the water acts like a magnifying glass. However, if they're in a
pot with sharp sand, as long as you don't put them in a
west-facing window, they can go on one of the window sills and
get sun without having to be schlepped in and out every day.
And, I make a LOT of cuttings . . . I have a potted tree and
bonsai 'forest'.

...so I just always whack them back all the way to the ground. It seems to encourage new growth, and keep the bush from getting leggy.

I'm not sure I follow you here. During the growing season you
wouldn't just cut off the end of a branch after it's bloomed, but cut
the branch all the way back to the ground? Or are you saying don't
bother dead heading, and cut it all the way back at to the ground at
the end of the season?

Yes, I cut the branch all the way to the ground; which usually
stimulates the growth of a new branch with a new flower bud.

I've got a 2.5' x 8' patch that's got 23 butterfly bushes of different sorts in it

Wow, amazing. I bet that's beautiful. So what's the spacing between
each plant? Eight inches or so? And how do you apply your compost?
As a compost tea, side digging each plant, or top dressing the area?

12" laterally, 10" front-to-back. I just top-dress with
compost. I find that, about the time the build-up has reached
the point where it's likely to smother the crowns, it's generally
time to divide anyway. For plants that don't get divided, we
just rake away the top layers every couple of years [flinging it
back on the compost pile, of course]. When we apply compost
during the growing season, we use our handy-dandy compost funnel
.. . . a length of 4" PVC pipe, with a funnel-shaped piece of
sheeting duct-taped to one end. You gently slide the pipe
between the rows at ground level, fill the funnel with compost,
and shake and drag; leaving a trail of compost behind you as you
go.

Chris Owens


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