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Buddleia "Buzz Ivory" What am I Doing Wrong?

februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
edited June 2022 in Plants
I planted Buddleia "Buzz Ivory" back in March and it had been growing really well. Since the temperatures have gone up though, it's constantly wilting. It's supposed to be sun loving but at the moment I'm having to water it at least a couple of times a day because it'll recover but then start looking sorry for itself all over again. I've just got in from work and it looks as though it's at death's door even though it's only 10am.

This is my first Buddleia but as a sun loving shrub, I'd have thought it'd be able to cope with a little hot weather and it's really beginning to annoy me now.

It's planted in an west facing open bottomed raised bed in Wickes topsoil. 

Edited to correct aspect.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The morning sun was very strong this morning.  Our east facing studio was like an oven ... 
    How much water are you giving it ... I'd have thought a bucket full in the evening ought to be enough if the raised bed is a decent size and depth ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    And windy as well as sunny. It's been tough on established plants, not just newly planted ones.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    edited June 2022
    @Dovefromabove Sorry, that should have been west facing 🤦‍♀️

    I couldn't say exactly how much water I've been giving it, I just stand there for a couple of minutes watering the base. The raised bed is 35cm high (although open bottomed so downward roots aren't restricted), the width is 65cm and the length approximately 5m. 
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I bought a veronica the other day that kept wilting at the tips.  I gave it a good soaking before planting it, watered the hole it was going into in the bed and watered again.  We had a major downpour a couple of days ago and it was still wilting a bit at the tips.  Another few litres of water last night has seen it perking up a bit this morning but it will need another drenching.  Moral of this story - it's hot; new plants need LOTS of water!
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    edited June 2022
    You need to give it a bucketful, as @Dovefromabove says.
    BUT!  Use a small jug to decant the water from the bucket and pour it slowly around the base of the shrub, near the stem. This will soak the rootball which can often dry out and remain dry even though you water the soil around it.
    Once you've done this a few times the rootball will be damp and you can use a watering can without a rose to direct the water to the base.
    Plenty of this TLC while the weather is so warm and dry, and keep up the watering all summer even if there's rain, and it should be fine.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I think everyone is experiencing watering problems, new shrubs are all having a tough time. I planted a Viburnham last October and I have needed to water that too.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    All the new plants I have in full sun have required constant watering.  They aren't all in raised beds, and even the ones in the borders have a good soaking every evening.  A thick mulch around new plants will help reduce water evaporation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited June 2022
    It maybe that the water is just running straight through the substrate and not getting wet. That can happen sometimes. Maybe put a load of manure on the raised bed to hold the water and act like a mulch.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    I always find that buddleias wilt in the heat even well established plants they seem like a particularly thirsty plant. 
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    Well, I'm sorry to say that I haven't had an awful lot of luck with the Buddleia. Initially it started responding well to the additional water but then would only perk up for a few hours before wilting again until it stopped recovering altogether. That is except for one stem. There's one stem that has never wilted and continues to grow, even though the rest of it has died off. In addition, the foliage on the remaining stem is a paler and more of a yellow green. I have no idea what's going on with it.

    When I planted it, I used manure and I always put bark chippings on my raised beds to prevent evaporation and retain moisture. I decided to try growing annuals this year and because of that, I delayed putting the bark down by a good month or so until they were ready to plant which in retrospect was a mistake. I'm not having a great year in the garden all round and I think the main reason is simply poor planning on my part.
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