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Massive Buddleia davidii death

obecalpobecalp Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have/had 25 Buddleia davidii that were planted 6yrs ago and were beautiful and trouble free.This Spring they are all dead (above ground) and tiny new growth is starting from dirt level.  When is the best time to cut away all the dead parts?  I think our very cold December last year did them in.  Thanks.
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Welcome to the forum 😊 

    I always cut my buddleja hard back in March. I usually cut them down to about my knee height.

     I would do the same with yours now, and give them a sprinkling of slow-acting general fertilizer such as Fish, Blood & Bone or Growmore. 

     I think you’ll find that in a couple of months they’re growing away nicely 😊 

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





  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Ditto what Dove said. If you can see new growth the buddleia are still alive. 
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • obecalpobecalp Posts: 3
    My bushes are all 6 feet or so tall and utterly dead to the dirt with new growth coming out of the dirt and not associated with any above ground branches.  It seems that cutting all the dead stuff away now would be ok. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2023
    Cut them back to knee height as I described above … just because it looks dead doesn’t mean that is definitely the case. 

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





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It would be very strange if they've been affected so badly they'd be dead @obecalp - do you just mean the old foliage has died off on the existing wood? That's perfectly normal, and you would do as @Dovefromabove describes re cutting them back. The December weather won't have affected them at all. 

    They flower on new wood they make through the spring and summer, hence cutting them back in late winter/early spring. That should be done every year. In mild, or sheltered, areas, the foliage can sometimes remain on the old wood over winter    :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited April 2023
    obecalp said:
     dead to the dirt with new growth coming out of the dirt
    Welcome to a predominantly British forum.  I don't know how cold it got where you garden, but it was a very cold winter in the UK. 

    Where there is life below ground there is hope.

    "Dirt" is not generally a garden-friendly word in British-English.  It was, though,  common in the Lancashire dialect in my childhood.  We prefer "soil", if composed, then "compost".
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    The only thing I would add to all the valid points above is that they don't like their roots standing in very wet soil for a long length of time. I have had a couple die after very wet winters in poor draining soil.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - boggy ground isn't great for them @floralies, as with many plants, but they can certainly withstand plenty of water. Mine are always in ground with plenty of other shrubs etc, so that helps mitigate the consistently wet clay.  :)
    Mine still had some bits of leftover foliage when I pruned a while ago [they're up against a fence too]  because it was another pretty mild winter for us here, apart from a couple of cold spells with more severe frosts, and lots of ice. That's why I wondered if the OP was in a mild spot where the foliage didn't usually die back in winter.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • M33R4M33R4 Posts: 291
    obecalp said:
    I have/had 25 Buddleia davidii that were planted 6yrs ago and were beautiful and trouble free.This Spring they are all dead (above ground) and tiny new growth is starting from dirt level.  When is the best time to cut away all the dead parts?  I think our very cold December last year did them in.  Thanks.
    I live in Derbyshire and have several tall growing varieties and we had heavy snow winter 2022/23. I take off a few feet in the autumn as they are about 20 feet tall. They lose their leaves over winter and start to have side shoots from now (Spring) and as they are vigorous growers, they soon make up the height I previously removed. They are strong plants and yours sound like they will make it again this year. 
    I wish I could garden all year round!
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    bédé said:
    obecalp said:
     dead to the dirt with new growth coming out of the dirt
    Welcome to a predominantly British forum.  I don't know how cold it got where you garden, but it was a very cold winter in the UK. 

    Where there is life below ground there is hope.

    "Dirt" is not generally a garden-friendly word in British-English.  It was, though,  common in the Lancashire dialect in my childhood.  We prefer "soil", if composed, then "compost".
    Well spotted. According to their 'about me': 
    American living in Virginia mountains.

    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
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