Half Price BUDDLEIA

picked this dwarf version up for £4. Obviously not on top form but thought I'd risk it for that price. Half dead half price as they say. Shall I cut it back now to remove dodgy bits or spray it with something?

 

My general approach is never spray a poorly plant.
.. If i was suffering with flue, the last straw would be, if i were to be sprayed with summat!
Removing dodgy bits is a good shout and it'll be bushier next season.
Buddleia are largely tenacious and I think that your specimen is just reacting to the coming autumn and having had a rotton time at the garden centre.
I'd plant it out (or pot on) and sit tight till Spring.
If it doesn't come back you can hold me responsible!

 

First I'd feed it with liquid feed, possibly as a foliar spray. After a few days I'd re-pot into a good rich compost with perlite or grit.

They'll regenerate very well if fed, but don't delay as a sickly plant will not overwinter. I'd suggest keeping it undercover for winter and on the dry side, as root-rot is the biggest killer of these little Buddleja.

 

Thank you both. I will do as you say and I'll do it this afternoon.

 

The indestructibility of Buddleja is greatly exaggerated. It's true the lilac and white feral B. davidii can be adventurous and resilient to adversity, but the named cultivars, particularly the new and highly attenuated dwarf plants, are not so forgiving. I've had several of the Flutterby plants die on me due to exposure to the wind, rain etc., mostly because the roots or trunk-base have rotted off. They're cold-hardy, but that's about all.

So, if you have a sickly looking new cultivar in a pot, it'll need care, attention and shelter to see it through the winter.

 

I bought four dwarf Buddlejas several years ago believing that they would be the same as the full size ones. They have all died bar one. They were in pots on my patio in multi purpose compost with good drainage. The one that survived and seems to be thriving is one I planted into the ground. I don't feed it, except in once in Spring when it starts growing and I do chop it back hard in Spring too. My experience with Buddleja tells me that they don't always do that well in pots unless they are looked after, although I'm sure there are others who can say their Buddleja thrives in pots. I do love Buddleja, one of my favourite plants and much loved by need and butterflies too. Unfortunately they done care for the strong, salty winds we get here so have to find a relatively sheltered spot for them that is sunny.