Xref: kermit rec.gardens:276143

I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer

They don't like wet feet--I learned that the hard way.

Mine is about 12 feet tall and still growing, at this point. I want it tall
because I want to see it from the porch, and want to screen out the street
traffic. I shape it a bit every year. Here in Baltimore it retains "green"
leaves year-round. It is up next to the front porch where it stays a bit
warmer.

Let us know if it leafs out!

"styxx374" wrote in message
...
I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised
bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my
understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer

I'm also PA, zone 6. I have one that I trim to almost the ground; it is
just now starting to send up new shoots. Another that I wait until spring
to trim is leafing out quite a bit.

The winter is not usually a problem for them, unless you have one of the
yellow cultivars. I've found that they are not as hardy as the purples and
the whites.

I'd give it a bit more time before writing it off.

Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

"styxx374" wrote in message
...
I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised
bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my
understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer

The easiest trick to check something is dead is to soend five mins with a
pair of secateurs just gradually cutting off peices and checking the
cross-section for sign of life. Taken to the extreme you could have a pile
of matchsticks by your feet, but if there is no sign of green nothing is
lost is it?
I would not prune a young buddleia (butterfly bush) so young. Leave it alone
for the first couple of years to get properly established then begin pruning
regime.
Regards
Mike Gilmore
www.winsfordwalledgarden.freeserve.co.uk


"SugarChile" wrote in message
...
I'm also PA, zone 6. I have one that I trim to almost the ground; it is
just now starting to send up new shoots. Another that I wait until
spring
to trim is leafing out quite a bit.

The winter is not usually a problem for them, unless you have one of the
yellow cultivars. I've found that they are not as hardy as the purples
and
the whites.

I'd give it a bit more time before writing it off.

Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

"styxx374" wrote in message
...
I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last
May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised
bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my
understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that
it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer

"styxx374" expounded:

I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

For future reference, don't cut a butterfly bush back at all until
spring bud break. It encourages growth, and that growth dies back
even further during the cold of winter. Butterfly bushes are
marginally hardy for us in zone 6, they frequently die back to the
ground but resprout from the roots and grow rapidly.

Give yours another month before deciding it's dead.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

Take a cutting is the wood still green or is it dried and brittle that
will telll you if a warm spell which we in pa had at least near
philly we did it might have gotten tricked and wasted a little energy
it happened to a different bush i had and it produced very little
flowers this year. :-(
time will tell a my butter fly bush is not budding yet either give it
some time. especially if you live up notrh of philly
i'm just south east my self and all my bushes are budding and
blooming but that one. they are lazy but great when they get going
good luck if some of the plant did die just prune that part and let
the rest go
michelle

tn, 3 May 2004 21:23:52 -0400, "styxx374" wrote:

I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer

I have one that is 3yrs old. I cut it back to about 6" tall, every fall. It
completely dies back in the winter here in Mi.. It's just starting to get new
growth.
Sue in Mi. (zone 5)

On Mon, 03 May 2004 21:23:52 -0400, styxx374 wrote:

I live in Pennsylvania, zone 6. I bought a purple butterfly bush last May.
We cut it back in the fall, so right now it stands about 3-4 feet. It is
planted about 10-15 feet from our house on the east side in a 6"raised bed.
As of today, May 2, it still has not shown any buds. It is my understanding
that butterfly bushes are late in "waking up," but I am concerned that it
didn't make it through our cold winter.

Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

Jennifer


I cut my buddleia about 6" above the base. New leaves start forming at
the base.

Sometimes the plant does not winter over. I read one reference where clay
soil is a problem because it is too compact and the winter freeze can kill
a plant.

The suggested solution is to amend clay soil so the plant's roots have
some breathing space. A winter mulch of leaves or straw helps, too.

Last season I planted 2 dozen plants in a zone 4/5 garden of clayey soil.
I lost 1 plant.