Buddlieas care

Discussion in 'Container Gardening' started by Appleblossom31, Jan 31, 2021.

  1. Appleblossom31

    Appleblossom31 Gardener

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    IMG_20210131_111829.jpg IMG_20210131_111837.jpg IMG_20210131_111850.jpg IMG_20210131_111900.jpg Good morning guys

    I purchased and planted these buddlieas in September last year, I understand buddlieas need to be cut back in spring.. Are these too young.. Any advice on their care this year please?
     
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    • ARMANDII

      ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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      Hi Appleblossom, at the moment your Buddleias in the pots can be left without pruning to grow on because they are quite small. To be honest, Buddleias, if they're not the dwarf variety, are better grown in the ground rather than in pots as they will grow better, produce more blossom panicles and attract more Butterflies and Bees.

       
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      • Nikolaos

        Nikolaos Total Gardener

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        @Appleblossom31 No, they are far too small to prune this Spring IMO, since pruning is around late Feb/early March. I would probably prune next Spring, but even that depends on the expected eventual height of the plants and how much growth your particular plants put on by then. What sort are they Appleblossom, 'Buzz' buddleias? I usually don't even start pruning those until they reach about 1 and 3/4 to 2ft in height and then prune harder and harder the larger the plant gets, cutting down to a third of its height for a mature plant.

        Nick
         
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        • Black Dog

          Black Dog Gardener of useful things

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          Well in my experience buddleias are almost impossible to kill. They grow on the side of train tracks on 100% pure gravel and debris.
          You can prune them or even cut them down entirely and they will bounce back. Drowning seems the only reliable way to permanently kill them off.

          So the only thing I do with mine is cut off the flowery bits after they stopped blooming and a week later they produced two new buds. And if they get too large I just cut them wherever I see fit, just do watch them sprout once more
           
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          • NigelJ

            NigelJ Total Gardener

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            I almost lost a late winter flowering buddleja last year, over the summer it just started to die and the bark almost fell off; possibly phytophora or some other fungal disease. I took some cuttings, one of which rooted and is currently in the greenhouse and has flower buds on it.
            It is a good idea to remove the flower spikes as they finish, to encourage the smaller flower spikes to develop.
             
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            • The Buddleja Garden

              The Buddleja Garden Gardener

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              Feral Buddleja davidii have a reputation for being tough – it's just so happens they like contaminated railway ballast and concrete demolition rubble. They're not so tolerant of water-logged clay soils and are prone to water moulds like Phytophthora. Other species are even more sensitive, as are some of the cultivars and modern hybrids. So how you treat a Buddleja plant depends very much on the cultivar/species and the soil conditions.
              The new miniature Buddleja hybrids are not tough. They're often highly hybridised or else inbred to produce unnaturally congested growth habits, and this means you can't treat them like a feral Buddleja. More significantly, some like Flutterby Flow and the Dreaming plants are bred for container growing; they'll need little pruning beyond removing winter die-back. Some fail miserably if treated like a tough ol'Buddleja.
              I wouldn't prune any Buddleja until April and until it was at least knee height. The ones shown in the photos are way too small to need pruning and should be left alone.
               
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              • Oakapple

                Oakapple Gardener

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                I planted one a few years back a ‘Black Knight’ ( or possibly a Black Night):) but anyway it looked healthy for a couple of years and then just died, so wasn’t tempted to plant another one.It was in a south facing sandy soil.I have always wanted a globe buddleja, but have heard they get very large.
                 
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                • ARMANDII

                  ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                  @Oakapple

                  I have had a Buddleia Globosa for decades, Oakapple, which is down at the bottom of the garden
                  and it's a great Shrub. To be honest, it hasn't got any bigger than any other Buddleia and anyway it has to be annually pruned like any other Buddleia.:dunno:
                   
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                  • Oakapple

                    Oakapple Gardener

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                    Thanks Armandii, that’s very useful to know.They’re such attractive shrubs, have always wanted one.:)
                     
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