Just noticed this today on my Buddleja

I noticed this today on my buddleja leaves. Just wondering if there’s anything I can do to help the plant? Looking on google it seems it’s either aphids or a virus? Wondering if it will flower this year? It’s just a self sown plant nothing special but I’d like to keep it for the butterflies even though I seem to see less each year.

 

I noticed similar symptoms on two of my Buddlejas last week @Millie16 . They had previously been badly infested with black fly at the growing points which I sprayed off with a garden hose. The patchy appearance and leaf curl followed within about a week. On Friday I removed all the affected leaves carefully with some snips. The stems look better today and there are flower buds forming. I read on a specialist Buddleja website that black fly have been a real problem this year, although there could be a viral infection too. @NigelJ grows Buddlejas and may be able to advise.

 

Ahh ok thank you I’ll have a go at snipping the affected bits off then. We normally have a lot of small birds visiting the garden but not so many this year so maybe that’s allowing the black fly to survive?

 

Yes, could be, small birds do eat black fly and other aphids. My Fatsia japonica also gets invaded by black fly but I noticed early this year and was prepared!

 

I have this leaf problem on my buddleia and also helianthus. I think mine is caused by capsid bug. It was the same last year. I sprayed the helianthus with Ultimate Bug Killer about a week ago and the new leaves are coming out fine now. I think my buddleia is tough enough to cope and have just left it.

 

Mine are suffering this too.

 

Ditto here - I have two dwarf buddleias and they are both affected and look pretty sick atm.

 

I've occasionally had that on mine, but usually later in the year as we don't get a lot of blackfly anyway. I just remove the leaves.
Buddleias are pretty indestructible though, so it should recover no problem @Millie16, especially if it's a self seeded one, as it's now used to your site and conditions.

 

It's caused by the melon-cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, according to the RHS and is an emergent problem starting only circa 2023.
There's more about it on my website:
Buddleja Diary 2025
I have been using SB Plant Invigorator (plant oil based), but now the predators seem to be clearing the aphids.

 

That's interesting @The Buddleja Garden. I had a quick look at the info, and I doubt that's what would cause the damage on mine, so it must be another type of aphid/insect. I don't get much of a problem with any of them anyway because the blue tits eat most of the aphids that appear, but the damage looks similar to the odd bit I've had in the past.

I don't really pay my buddleias a lot of attention though, but I might try and look more often to see what's on them!

 

This is very interesting @The Buddleja Garden. I shall have a look at both my shrubs and especially my helianthus, which has similarly affected leaves. I didn't notice aphids first time I looked. But I have noticed lots of ladybirds lately - one nipped me on my neck in the car.

 

That's very informative @The Buddleja Garden, thank you. The damage on my Buddlejas looked similar. Could similar symptoms result from black fly injecting mosaic virus do you think?

 

I don't know if this has been the worst year I can remember for aphids or if it's been the lack of rain, to wash away the sap, that has made it seem worse. We have lots of buddleja and quite a few have this twisted growth. The interesting thing is that it doesn't seem to be every buddleja, even though neighbouring, sometimes touching, buddleja have it.
If I remember last year the ones that had it were very poor flowering, if they even flowered at all.

 

There's something in the RHS mag about a new to UK buddleia disease they want to be notified about.
I didn't read it properly as I've only one budleia in an area I don't frequent.
I'll take a picture of article if nobody else has seen it

 

That would be really helpful @BB3, thank you.