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Can Buddleia be saved?

carloapicella117QmuH0h6Gcarloapicella117QmuH0h6G Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hi, I have at least three buddleias that were extremely and vigorous last year . But now appear to be dead? I will wait to see if any new growth appears, but i cant find any green under the bark on any of them.
I am in a very exposed position in south east surrounded by farmland, so i dont know if my season is just a lot later and so new growth may appear a lot later than most other gardens. Any advice would be most welcomed. Thank youl

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They'd normally be cut back by now. Have you done that with them in the past?
    They flower on the  new wood produced in the same year. 

    They look dried out to me. Although they're happy in sunny, drier sites, they still need enough moisture to sustain the top growth.  If it's a windy, exposed site, that will also dry them out.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • carloapicella117QmuH0h6Gcarloapicella117QmuH0h6G Posts: 7
    I don't usually cut them back no, only to keep a shape, they're in a huge bed in full sun, with moist clay. The largest one, i thought woulbe be extremely hardy, as it is the common purple buddleia.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If the soil dries out too much in summer it won't help though. Our soil doesn't dry out here because we get regular rain, but clay in dry parts of the country does, unless it's been well amended. Many people in the south have had very little rain over last summer and into autumn, and lots of plants have suffered because of that. 
    There's quite a lot of other planting all competing for moisture too. If it's windy, that adds to the drier conditions, and that's what it looks like in your photos.
    They really need cutting back hard in late winter/early spring to encourage that new wood for the flowers. Much easier for the roots to sustain the top too  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • carloapicella117QmuH0h6Gcarloapicella117QmuH0h6G Posts: 7
    Yes I'll try cutting them back, hopefully they will come back, as the other ones are black knight, and the other is Wisteria Lane.
    The soil was super hard solid clay, some yellow and blue clay too. Which I added tonnes of manure, compost and leaf mulch to amend it. So now it's clay but very well amended for the most part.
    And during summer, I was watering a lot. All the buddlias looked very well until we had the bad frosts.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I grow B.Knight, and we also have heavy clay, which was amended before they were planted, but it isn't frosts generally that are the problem, as we certainly have plenty of those [usually upwards of 50 to 60 every year] - it's a combination of mild, wet then freezing that's been the biggest problem for many plants this winter, as the roots get affected more by that.  Wet cold long term, is also far more damaging for plants than dry cold. 
    Mine have never been watered since they were put in around 8 or 9 years  ago as our ground doesn't dry pout over summer.
    They looked a bit worse this year than usual, but we had frozen ground long term, after even wetter conditions than usual, and below minus 10 temps for spells, then mild spells again, and it's that swing that causes the problems. A repeat in March, although shorter and not quite getting to minus 10, added to it. I just pruned mine hard last week. They'll be fine   :)
     
    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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