T
Junior Member
Posts: 94 
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Post by T on Aug 26, 2015 1:43:39 GMT
I have a medium sized buddleia in my front garden that always blooms very late (late Aug to mid Sept). Right now it has one smallish bloom and the rest are barley forming. All other buddleia plants in my area are in full bloom and starting to die off. Any ideas why mine is so late? I cut it right back every year when it is dormant. I'm not really complaining as it gets covered in butterflies, bees, hoverflies etc looking for a late meal when the others are spent.
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Post by alf1951 on Aug 26, 2015 8:28:06 GMT
I wouldn't worry about it T - it depends on variety and location. I have 2 - one is white flowered, produces masses of blooms, keeps going for weeks (if dead-headed) and produces a dense bush up to 12' tall - just coming to an end now. The other produces purplish flowers on rather long floppy stems and has only just got going. I'm happy as between them they extend the time the garden is attractive to butterflies, bees and hoverflies. The other issue could be location. We used to live in a village just 10 miles from Carlisle but also at a higher elevation. Spring flowering plants in Carlisle were always in full bloom a full 3 weeks ahead of us because of the temperature gradient due to our elevation and city's microclimate. Unfortunately winter was earlier arriving with us than for Carlisle folk!
Alf
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T
Junior Member
Posts: 94
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Post by T on Aug 26, 2015 11:51:35 GMT
I wouldn't worry about it T - it depends on variety and location. I have 2 - one is white flowered, produces masses of blooms, keeps going for weeks (if dead-headed) and produces a dense bush up to 12' tall - just coming to an end now. The other produces purplish flowers on rather long floppy stems and has only just got going. I'm happy as between them they extend the time the garden is attractive to butterflies, bees and hoverflies. The other issue could be location. We used to live in a village just 10 miles from Carlisle but also at a higher elevation. Spring flowering plants in Carlisle were always in full bloom a full 3 weeks ahead of us because of the temperature gradient due to our elevation and city's microclimate. Unfortunately winter was earlier arriving with us than for Carlisle folk! Alf Cheers man. It just looks like your average purple one. The kind you see growing out of buildings and along railways. A few gardens down has what looks like the same one and it already dying back. Do you think if I dead head it, I can prolong the flowering time? I've never thought of that. |
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Post by alf1951 on Aug 27, 2015 1:21:03 GMT
I always deadhead mine - partly to encourage new flowers (works well with the white one but not with the purple one) and partly to stop them seeding themselves all over the place - it's regarded as an invasive species in some places. Don't remember where we got the white one from, I don't recall buying it - might have been given or just a self-seeder. Years ago we were given one with ball shaped flowers - didn't seem to attract any wildlife and the root system was a bit of a brute so we got rid. There are loads of varieties (have a look on Wiki) - keep an eye out for local plant sales or even car boot sales where people might want to sell or get rid of surplus shrubs.
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T
Junior Member
Posts: 94
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Post by T on Sept 6, 2015 15:15:23 GMT
It's finally starting to flower. With the bad summer, I doubt there will be many visitors though. So far only a few bees and a snall tortoiseshell. Usually it's swarming with red admirals and peacocks and a good amount of small tortoiseshells.
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Post by rowanberry on Sept 6, 2015 17:17:04 GMT
We have a purple one in a huge pot that had masses of blooms last year... this year, it's only just started to produce just a few. I think the weather hasn't done it any favours this summer- a lot of things in my garden haven't done too well, (it spends most of the autumn and winter in full shade.)
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Post by alf1951 on Sept 13, 2015 6:28:59 GMT
Sadly both my buddleia have now finished but the sedum spectabile is now flowering - we've got loads because it produces big clumps - easy to divide to produce new plants - the butterflies, bees, hoverflies etc love 'em.
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Post by aeshna5 on Sept 14, 2015 5:01:43 GMT
For me at the moment Verbena bonariensis is the flower of choice for butterflies. When I went to Richmond Park at the weekend Aster frikartii was alive with hoverflies + solitary bees.
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Post by alf1951 on Sept 18, 2015 3:57:09 GMT
Not sure the verbena would survive a N. Cumbria winter without help but yes, there are lots of insect attracting plants we should all be growing.
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Post by aeshna5 on Sept 18, 2015 5:47:33 GMT
Not sure the verbena would survive a N. Cumbria winter without help but yes, there are lots of insect attracting plants we should all be growing. Possibly not but it's usually pretty cheap to buy each spring or even from seed. |
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T
Junior Member
Posts: 94
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Post by T on Sept 18, 2015 14:15:59 GMT
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Post by alf1951 on Sept 19, 2015 7:13:06 GMT
I envy your still having some Summer wherever you are T - my buddleias are well and truly over - Autumn seems to have arrived ahead of schedule here.
We mostly get just the Peacocks, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshells on the buddleia but one of the whites makes an occasional visit.
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Post by shirl100 on Sept 20, 2015 17:00:29 GMT
Most of our Buddleias are just about finished except one bush, it is virtually still in full flower and had lots of visitors this morning including Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admiral and Peacock. It is the only Buddleia that faces directly east so it gets most of the sun in the early part of the morning with a little bit in the afternoon when the sun peeps through trees. Not sure why it does flower later but it does so every year.
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T
Junior Member
Posts: 94
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Post by T on Oct 4, 2015 14:32:12 GMT
Most of our Buddleias are just about finished except one bush, it is virtually still in full flower and had lots of visitors this morning including Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admiral and Peacock. It is the only Buddleia that faces directly east so it gets most of the sun in the early part of the morning with a little bit in the afternoon when the sun peeps through trees. Not sure why it does flower later but it does so every year. It's still struggling on and attracting insects   |
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Post by silversea on Oct 15, 2015 18:51:24 GMT
Wild buddleia colonies are usually pretty good for flowering on time and attracting lots of visitors...maybe a cutting could be propagated to help form a "perfect timing" buddleia.
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