Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1 metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from a relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured flowers. She no longer has it.

Can anybody help!

Yes indeed. Please follow these 3 simple steps, and then you will find out what it is.
(1) Take some digital pictures, both whole plant and close up of parts of it.
(2) Post them on a picture sharing website like Flickr.
(3) Post here saying "what is this" and give us a link to the pictures.
That should be an effective method of getting an id.

In article , Hannah2012
writes

Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from
a
relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.



Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

--
regards andyw

In message , news
writes
In article , Hannah2012
writes

Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from

relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.



Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

The large contrast between those guesses just goes to show how impossible it is to identify this plant on the basis of the limited information provided. Generally speaking, if a person is capable of describing in words such information as would clearly identify a plant such as this, they are usually capable of identifying it themselves.

I must say my own thought process went - blue/purple flowers, dies down in winter, takes easily from cuttings ... commonest thing of that description is buddleia. But at the same time some of the other stuff didn't really seem terribly consistent, and a lot of other common blue-flowered perennials around.

In article , news
writes
Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?


No wouldn't think so , the OP seems to say they are individual flowers,
not sure that each floret on a Buddleia raceme would be counted as a
flower dropping out of its 'shell' ?

besides would it go brown in winter? Sounds like a perennial or maybe a
half hardy shrub?
--
Janet Tweedy

On 19/07/2012 10:01, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , news
writes
In article , Hannah2012
writes

Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from
relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.



Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.


My stab in the dark would be Borage.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 19/07/2012 11:59, echinosum wrote:
Stewart Robert Hinsley;964931 Wrote:
Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.
The large contrast between those guesses just goes to show how
impossible it is to identify this plant on the basis of the limited
information provided. Generally speaking, if a person is capable of
describing in words such information as would clearly identify a plant
such as this, they are usually capable of identifying it themselves.

I must say my own thought process went - blue/purple flowers, dies down
in winter, takes easily from cuttings ... commonest thing of that
description is buddleia. But at the same time some of the other stuff
didn't really seem terribly consistent, and a lot of other common
blue-flowered perennials around.[/i][/color]

My first thought was something in the line of Michaelmas daisy

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 19/07/2012 11:59, echinosum wrote:
Stewart Robert Hinsley;964931 Wrote:
Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.
The large contrast between those guesses just goes to show how
impossible it is to identify this plant on the basis of the limited
information provided. Generally speaking, if a person is capable of
describing in words such information as would clearly identify a plant
such as this, they are usually capable of identifying it themselves.

I must say my own thought process went - blue/purple flowers, dies down
in winter, takes easily from cuttings ... commonest thing of that
description is buddleia. But at the same time some of the other stuff
didn't really seem terribly consistent, and a lot of other common
blue-flowered perennials around.

My first thought was something in the line of Michaelmas daisy

[/i][/color]
I thought that was a possibility, too.

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 19/07/2012 10:01, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , news
writes
In article , Hannah2012
writes

Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from
relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.



Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.


My stab in the dark would be Borage.


Isn't borage an annual?
I think we need a pic or more description of size of leaf, leaf type etc.
Tina

On 19/07/2012 17:03, Christina Websell wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 19/07/2012 10:01, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In , news
writes
In , Hannah2012
writes

Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from
relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.



Apart from the fact that it seems a bit small - and odd to be in a pot
-I'd have guessed at Buddleia?

I interpreted the description as a herbaceous plant, but I suppose it
could be stretched to cover a deciduous shrub. My stab in the dark is
Nepeta.


My stab in the dark would be Borage.


Isn't borage an annual?
I think we need a pic or more description of size of leaf, leaf type etc.
Tina





Yes, you're right, but I feel as if I've known it grown as a biennial.
The flowers do tend to drop away, as described. It is also beloved by bees.

I think we all agree, though, on needing a photograph.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 18/07/2012 14:46, Hannah2012 wrote:
Hello, a few years ago i was given some cuttings of a plant. The first
year they grew a little,but no flowers.

In winter the plant dies back and goes brown but this year has grown
massive, got lots of tiny purple blue coloured buds but the buds are
sort of falling from their shells to the floor and not flowering. I
noticed the bees enjoy the plants and seem to go for the bud but as i
say the buds just drop out of the shell they are in.

The buds are tiny and the plant has grown large this year, about 1
metre, last year was about 30cm but again it didn't flower.

I am not sure what plant it is, and why it won't flower. I got it from a
relative who can't remember giving it me as she is elderly but i
remember she had some in pots and it had lots of blue purple coloured
flowers. She no longer has it.

Can anybody help!


Somehow I don't think we will ever see a picture of any part of the plant

Very sorry, novice gardener new to this forum, 9 months pregnant and haven't had chance to get photos on, have put some on a new thread, apologies if the description is bad

In message , Hannah2012
writes

Hannah2012;965005 Wrote:
If anybody can help that would be great

Thanks

More photos

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|Filename: 2012-07-20 09.50.38.jpg |
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Scrophularia - not sure which one.


--
Hannah2012

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 23/07/2012 10:18, echinosum wrote:
kay;965033 Wrote:
My best guess would be a Scrophularia. Do a google image search and see
what you think.
Not convinced. Certainly not something obvious and common. Need to go
and flick through some books.

Having promised you we'd tell you what it is if you gave us a photo -
and you have given us good enough photos - we haven't been able to tell
you yet.


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Try Green Figwort