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What's eating my buddleia?

Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
in Problem solving
Hello
I have two different buddleia cuttings in different parts of the garden and both seem to be being eaten by an invisible enemy. One has suffered more than the other.
I was going to put them together in a sheltered place for the winter but wonder if that will just encourage whatever is feeding on them to breed and finish off the plants. I have a generic bug spray which I used on the one without a flower and that seemed to help a bit, but it's lost a lot of leaves now, though has some promising new growth.  The one with no flower is a pompom variety.
Any idea what it could be and how/whether to treat it? Thanks 


No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

Posts

  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    I don't think you need to worry, insect damage is never serious on Buddleia. In fact it looks more like physical damage to me, not insects. Your plant will be fine.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Buddlejas lose their leaves in winter, unless you live in a very mild area.  I don't think you have anything to worry about with those two, as their new foliage looks nice and healthy.  It's just possible the holes in the leaves were caused by vine weevils, which chew out characteristic notches from the edges, but it's hard to see.  

    When you put the pots in a sheltered spot, check underneath and round the rims for slugs, which have an annoying habit of over-wintering near a food supply... don't let the pots get too wet, as buddleja like good drainage (they grow on railways in the ballast at the edges, not a lot of soil there).  Presumably you'll plant them in the garden eventually?  They'll do better in the ground.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
    Not sure if either of them will go in the ground as I want to take them when we move house in about a year.  The purple one is a dwarf one so will be fine in a pot - I already have other established cuttings of it in another pot and they don't show any damage to the leaves, nor have they lost their leaves yet, in fact they all have lots of new growth.  I imagine they will survive,  just wondered why they have holey leaves and the others don't 
    No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Sometimes it's not possible to find out what's had a chomp of the leaves, @Stephanie newish gardener, because they've chomped and legged it... and it's not worth trying to control what's no longer there.  It's worth keeping an eye on the pots over winter and investigating if more holes appear; occasionally you can get caterpillars etc taking advantage of the shelter and "ready meal".

    I think they would benefit from being repotted next spring into soil-based compost (maybe JI no.2 at this stage, eventually no.3 if they're still in pots a long time hence) to give them more nourishment.  Multi-purpose compost isn't very good for keeping shrubs in pots long term.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited October 2020
    Weevils and slugs are the main culprits here, but I'd agree with the others - it's largely aesthetic on a buddleia, and rarely affects them to any extent. 
    Sometimes, they just target the most accessible plant when it's potted too. A potted plant will always be a wee bit more vulnerable too, as they're just not as sturdy. 

    When you say pom pom, do you mean it's a globosa? They're not quite so tough as the usual davidiis. Especially in windy exposed sites. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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