Buddleia

[paulchandler6]

Is there any way to extend the flowering season of Buddleia? Most of mine is now over but I do remember from somewhere that depending on the time of year you cut it back can affect this. I know that different varieties flower at different times but I cant fit anymore into the garden. Cheers

[Paul mabbott]

It's a bit hit and miss. I chop the branches down to 1-2m when flowering finishes; if it's an extended autumn then there is sometimes axillary growth and further flowers ... sometimes not! Chopped a lot of mine down yesterday when the sun appeared ...

Originally Posted by paulchandler6

Is there any way to extend the flowering season of Buddleia? Most of mine is now over but I do remember from somewhere that depending on the time of year you cut it back can affect this. I know that different varieties flower at different times but I cant fit anymore into the garden. Cheers

[goosey]

If you dead head the first lot of large flowers, (if you can reach, depending on how large you buddleia is) but be careful not to remove the two smaller flowers at the base of the flower, these usually grow larger than if they are attached to a dead flower. And the plant tends to have a new lease of life and produces more new flowers. I have done this other years and it has worked well, but this year I was on holiday, everything went to seed and I was left with were a few pathetic small round flowers instead of large conicular ones.

I dont dead head the second lot of flowers as the Tits love the seeds in the winter and I think insects tend to shelter in them.

I don't actually cut my buddleias back until the first week of March though, like Paul says 1-2m as the new flowers will grow on that years new growth. This is the Davidii species I am refering to. I am no expert and my garden has been trial and error, but this works for me .

[Cazzie]

Agree with Goosey! I dead head the main flower as soon as it dies and if you look carefully you'll see some new flowers developing on the next pair of buds down the stem My big purple one is approx 10ft tall atm, so I have to carefully bend down a branch to snip the dead flowers off, but I can't reach them all without a stepladder.

I also chop mine down at the beginning of March too.

[Tormentil]

I too, do exactly as goosey and Cazzie.

[Varan Komodosky]

I hate buddleia. It is a total waste of good carbon dioxide, light and water. I bought a Davidii and planted it and got what I can only describe as a fluffy pink girlie puff flower. I bought the plant from a private sale for a hospice charity too. Swines.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Varan Komodosky

I hate buddleia. It is a total waste of good carbon dioxide, light and water. I bought a Davidii and planted it and got what I can only describe as a fluffy pink girlie puff flower. I bought the plant from a private sale for a hospice charity too. Swines.

A little harsh for such a useful insect attracting plant Varan. You must have just been unlucky with getting a pink fluffy girly one. I have two pink (pink Delight - and a dwarf "Peacock"), two white (Profusion) a very Masucline deep purple (black Knight) and a buddleia globosa with yellow spherical flowers. There will always be space in my tiny garden for such a useful plant or six!
Well at least you did your bit for the hospice and the insects will love you - so you can't be too bad,even if you hate buddleias .

[fleur]

Buddleia have to be one of my favourite shrubs for insects in the garden. Mine is quite new, only been in the house a year, and it is a dark purple one. This summer it has been covered in butterflies and bees. Come Feb/Mar I will cut it right back to just about 3" of growth on each branch. Cutting just above a leaf joint. Sorry for the lack of technical jargon! Next to it on the ground, are some old bits of tree. They had been given to me after a tree had been removed locally. Not very large pieces, some with bark on. In amongst these I will be planting some snowdrops.
Fleur
x

[goosey]

Originally Posted by fleur

Buddleia have to be one of my favourite shrubs for insects in the garden. Mine is quite new, only been in the house a year, and it is a dark purple one. This summer it has been covered in butterflies and bees. Come Feb/Mar I will cut it right back to just about 3" of growth on each branch. Cutting just above a leaf joint. Sorry for the lack of technical jargon! Next to it on the ground, are some old bits of tree. They had been given to me after a tree had been removed locally. Not very large pieces, some with bark on. In amongst these I will be planting some snowdrops.
Fleur
x

Hi Fleur, you could make a small log pile with your wood if you have enough to spare. I made a small one last year for insects and it became inhabited very quicky and has started to go mossy now. I have a very small garden and my log pile is under the buddleia and last year I planted grape hyacinths ans snowdrops around it (does this sound familiar -great minds eh )it looked lovely in Feb/March - a little woodland corner. .

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Varan Komodosky

I hate buddleia. It is a total waste of good carbon dioxide, light and water. I bought a Davidii and planted it and got what I can only describe as a fluffy pink girlie puff flower. I bought the plant from a private sale for a hospice charity too. Swines.

I don't mind them on railway embankments but the davidiis are plain naff. B.alternifolia is not a bad garden plant though I'm not sure of its wildlife value. I have a theory about buddleias and wildlife - I'm sure that where there is a large existing local population of birds and/or insects, buddleias will get visited by the nectar feeders and seed eaters. However, I don't think that buddleias are a 'prime attracter' - the kind of plant that brings fauna into a garden because the food source is especially prized.

CM