I want to plant a couple of these in my yard but the best place for them is also fairly wet in the spring. Would they be ok there or would it be a disaster?
Butterfly bush
I'm not really sure. You don't want root rot, but at the same time, flutterby bushes don't mind lots of water. I grow one in an old recycling bin the city issued years ago. Small flutterby bushes are cheap. I say try one and if it does okay, you could add a few more either later in the season or next season. Take cuttings and root them and keep them in pots in a dry, sunny location. If the wet spot kills the one, you will have already propogated and won't have to buy another. They root very easily.
How large a cutting do I need to start a cutting? Will a leaf do?
The leaves sort of grow in clusters -- I'd cut a whole cluster, leaving about 1 inch of stem at the bottom. If you have some rooting hormone, dip the stem in that, then pop it into a small pot of wet soil. Carefully sprinkle with water every other day until the cutting starts putting out new leaves, which means it's rooted and is now putting its energy into growing foilage (as opposed to growing roots). If you don't have rooting hormone, just stick the stem part into a glass of water and change the water daily. When you see roots in the glass, you can plant the cutting in a small pot.
Jazz---
I was just checking on the butterfly bushes I planted last year---they look dead--but I read the attached write-up that says that is normal for the midwest...mmmm....
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/butterflybush.html
I planted mine out in the open and they have pretty good drainage....if they are dead, it's because they froze out or I cut them back too far...
I'll let you know. I do know the butterflies luv 'em! t.
JAzz, can you plant them in the spot you want but plant them a little elevated above ground level? I've done this for a number of plants I know don't want wet feet. I have 5 butterfly bushes and one is right next to the downspout and was just huge. I finally cut it back this year. Another is in a "damp" part of my bed but is pretty close to ground level. This does ok because it gets the full blast of afternoon sun. Just plant yours a little higher and they should do ok. Good luck!
GG
These are in afternoon sun so they might just be happy there.. I am planning on moving one to another bed..heh heh.. well planning to have my husband move it to another bed.. after he moves my 18 daylilies from that bed.. (did I mention I bought him a new truck this year) lol