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Buddleia bushes die off
riskiq
Posts: 2
Hi there I wonder if anyone can help me?
I'm an avid wildlife gardener and on one boundary of my property I have been growing a wide range of different buddleias for the summer butterflies. However every year a number of very established bushes start wilting and then completely die.
I've no idea what's happening as bushes beside them seem very healthy. It would be fantastic to understand what going on here.
Has anyone had similar experiences or knows what's happening? Thanks Jules
0
Posts
Are you planting the shrubs in the same place that previous buddleis have died?
Sorry Buddleia
They need cutting down to the ground almost, then wait and see what the new growth will look like. They will still flower this year and be better for butterflys when they bloom later.
Just cut them back to about six inches from the ground, they'll grow up just fine. As Lyn said, they flower on this years growth.
This isn't about cutting them back I'm familiar with cutting back buddleias. Even if you cut these wilting ones back then still die- this is something more
Is there something present in the ground? A raft of concrete for instance. Have you grown anything else there?
What about neighbours - could someone be chucking weedkiller over the fence? They're pretty hard to kill.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Is the soil particularly wet in this area? Buddleias can get fungal attacks, and it's more likely in waterlogged soil.
Is the die-back spreading through the established bushes, or only affecting bushes re-planted in the same area?
Or are the buddleias too dry? They grow very quickly and therefore need plenty of water to keep them sustained through this rapid growth. The plants do look very spindly, they should be compact when growing after a good prune earlier in the year riskiq. It is good to attract wildlife into your garden and buddleias are one of the best bushes for this purpose.