Greetings All,
I'm a bit new around here (to this site) and wanted to say Howdy for starters. This seems to be a great site and very well organized and maintained to the highest standards. I've snooped around a lot and decided to subscribe to be allowed to snoop a bit further ;)
So far I've found loads of useful information and even uploaded a few photos to offer a small contribution - so far anyway. However, I hadn't had the chance or actual need to make a post to this group until today.
I purchased a new plant today and I did a few searches to gather as much info as I could find, but I haven't found anyone in this area with the "exact" same plant I got so I thought I'd ask around and hope for some possible input before I select the final location for planting.
The plant in question is the Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac, Orange-eye Butterfly Bush 'Royal Red' (Buddleja davidii)
I think the plant will fit in nicely with my landscape and I'm hoping it will do well here in this area. However, I'm just curious if anyone else that lives in similar conditions has had any success with this plant. If so, does it tolerate the Texas version of "Full Sun"?
According to the info I found on the PlantFile page for this variety . . . "they prefer full sun (they must receive eight or more hours of sun a day to thrive)." However, that was from a bit farther north than where I live. I just don't want to burn it up in the South Texas heat, so any one living near here that has experience with this one that may offer some tips or advice . . . it would be greatly appreciated. :)
Thanks in advance,
GD
Butterfly Bush - Royal Red variety - how much heat/sun is ok
mine are in full sun, i'm in houston. good for you. I've been looking for the royal red but it is usually sold out
Great . . . thanks for the info . . . I picked mine up from the local Lowe's and there were still a few left on the table. May give them a call if there are any in your area?
I think I'll try the full sun spot I had in mind and just give it plenty of water for a while and see what happens :)
I guarantee you it won't wilt that easily. that is a toughie plant, and one of the reasons I love it. I also really like the musky fragrance, hubby does not. I understand it is easy to propagate by rooting cuttings, however, I haven't done it yet. enjoy your budleia.
Kool deal . . . I spoke with the lady at Mountain Valley Growers, while ordering some more Basil, about the Butterfly Bushes and she basiclly said the same thing. Then she told me about the strain that they have produced - said it's even more heat and drought tollerant, so ordered I ordered two of those to go in the area I have selected for the first one and a couple of Lavanders I have.
They call their strain "Twilight" . . . are you familiar with that version? There's a few photos on their site . . . they look really nice and are close in color to the Royal Reds.
Thanks again.
GD
GD, I've seen butterfly bushes for sale at Rainbow Gardens (my favorite nursery in SA) but I always walked by them...and thought I'd wait.... Now however...after reading about them on your thread..I may have to have one in my garden. They ARE pretty...aren't they? And they do look similar to the lilacs that I loved in New England.
Yeah I'm with ya there TxT . . . I did the same thing the first few times I saw them. Finally I decided I should get one before they were all gone :D lol
Well - as I mentioned above, now I've found a strain that was developed for "our" type of climate and I have a location that get's the Texas version of Full Sun. I told the lady I spoke with (in Cali now, but from Houston originally) and told here where I intended to plant some new things and she said they'd be fine out there in the blaze'n sun.
They should be here by the end of next week . . . So we shall see :)
Here's the one I have now, the Royal Red.
Hmmm...now that IS mighty "purty." I was poking around in my garden this early am...and found my native Woolly Butterfly Bush, which of course looks nothing like your variety. Odd looking plant tho, with small orange flowers on a ball shape bloom. The flys seem to love it...lol. Was going to the nursery this morning...but after mowing and edging the front yard...I've decided its just too hot. *sigh* Sunday is always my "nursery day." I know Rainbow Gardens has a few varieties of your butterfly bushes. I'm definitely going to pick one up...maaaybeee today...if I can find a big enough hat and a 150 SPF suntan lotion....lol :D
Ahh nice . . . that is a pretty little flower. And I see you captured the fly have'n a little nibble too ;)
lol @ big enough hat . . . I'm with ya there . . . it's already get'n pretty toasty out there. I'm going to have to do another rain dance or something. It's so dry out here that my grass is scream'n for water almost daily.
Good luck find'n that hat :D
lol GD,
I have an even better one...Its so hot that the trees are whistlin' for dogs... :D
LOL!!! Let's just hope that we get some rain soon . . . or the trees won't be the only thing whistle'n for dogs :D
GD-
... first things, welcome. Second, I have a butterfly bush in my yard. It is in the Texas Clay, is watered minimally (We are in restriction stage III), and is growing like it's on steroids! Let's say, it's 5 feet high and 7-8 feet wide now. It gets 10-12 hours of direct sunlight.
Methinks you will be just fine! :)
Wow sublimaze1,
Your butterfly bush looks so similar to my White Vitex tree. I didn't know that there was a white variety. Hmmm...now I'm going to HAVE to get one here soon... That Royal Red is gorgeous....
I have a Royal Red and it get full western afternoon sun and does great. And the butterflies absolutely adore it!
Good deal . . . Thanks for the welcome and the info, I'm feeling better and better about where I want to put mine now :)
Hey GD, it's your buddy Greenie! We have the same bbush that you do and ours was virtually ignored the last 3 years (not by us obviously). It still managed to bloom pretty well this year...even better once I started taking care of it. It will do great though my bflys prefer my lantana and rajin cajun ruellia to my bbush!
Hey there Greenie :)
That sounds encouraging and glad to hear yours is doing well and even better now with a little TLC :) I've got tons of wild Lantana here and a few Mexican Bird of Paradise that the butterflies seem to enjoy in this nasty drought we're have'n this year. Hopefully these new babies will bring them a little extra soon :)
Thanks for the info,
GD
GD,
Now here I thought that I was a proud owner of a "Texas Bird of Paradise." Is there something else out there called a "Mexican Bird of Paradise?" My oldest sister keeps trying to convince me that it is a "Pride of Barbados," and I certainly know that it isn't. This hallowed sun hasn't burnt off my brain cells THAT fast... :o And indeed, the flying flowers do love the blossoms. I actually got all "bank robbery sneaky" one lazy Sunday evening and "borrowed" some wild lavender lantana growing forgotten around a house under construction. Well lord, it was growing haphazardly all over the place! Anyhoo....it grew quite well for awhile. My Dallas Red variety is doing well...but I swear it now looks like the common orange/yellow variety. I can blame that on the heat too...I reckon.. :)
Hmmmmmm . . . wild lavender lantana huh? I thought I was missing a few of those . . . lol Actually I'm not sure I've seen those yet? But hey . . . I've got some Lavander and some Lantana . . . maybe they can do the . . . . naaa ... surely not :D
Well ya got me there . . . the only ones (Mexican Bird of Paradise) I'd ever seen were the ones like I have with the red & orange blooms, until recently when I looked them up on here. Here's the page that tells more about the Mexican version, see if this is the same thing you have?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57631/index.html
lol...Noooo, GD, I meant lavender as in the color...not the plant...lol But wow..that'd be a mighty interesting cross-over... :D
Hmm...my Texas Bird of Paradise looks absolutely nothing like yours...except for the shape of the petals. And mine is completely yellow...except for bright red stamens. Ya see...yours looks alot more similar to a Pride of Barbados. Well now I'm completely confused..lol Mexican and Texan hat dances going on here...lol
GD, I also have some lavendar lantana and I'll be bringing some to the Dallas plant swap in October. In the meantime, if you get them a little tipsy and notice a little action, be sure to get it on film, will ya?
LOL . . . silly me . . . I'm always 'reading too much' into things :D
Yeah . . . I was notice'n that @ the different structure. But there is evidently a yellow variety of the Mexican version.
Sounds cool Greenie . . . I bet those are nice :) I'll have to look them up.
Oh yeah . . . stay tuned . . . film at 11 ;)
This is a fun thread to read, thanks to newbie GD, and--by the way--WELCOME!
I'm a bit confused now about some of these perreniel bushes, but I DO know that Red Barn here in Austin has a 50% off ALL plants until the 30th of June, and they had some large b-bushes. Now I wish I had bought one!!
Are you San Antonio peole having a NT (nursery tour, GD!) or Roundup (general meeting/ plant swap in a city, GD!) this summer? I'm from Austin and am a teacher, so come August 10, my life will not be mine again for 10 months!! :) Would love to drive to SA and do nursery tours..meet DG'ers.
When is that film being screened???? I'll bring the popcorn!!
Potential film "soap" titles for film at 11:
Leaves of our Lives
The Green and the Restless
As the Stamen Turns
The Gold and the Beautiful
Greenie...just toooo funny!! The third one just had me rolling on the floor!!!!
GD...visited your art site and you are ONE talented person!!! Wanna trade plants (like a million?? ha) for a painting??? I'll have to post my DH's 'Spirit Seeker' painting done by Thom Ricks sometime...do you know the Ricks (from outside SA...Boerne)? He does Texas and Native American paintings and his DW does abstract! For the Spirit Seeker, he took one of her abstracts and "found" a spirit guide inside it! It's wonderful!
I've got the butter melt'n now ;)
Connie . . . Thanks for the warm welcome and the kind words. That's a good question, I was wondering that myself (re: SA get together). I just planted a handful of Mexican Bird of Paradise seeds a week or so ago. . . if they decide to actually sprout, I'll have plenty to share. Plus I could always bring a few sections of my Owiee Plant ( link to photos here "South Texas Growing Medium?" http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/620044/ ) if anyone wants one of these tough little guys :D
I don't guess I'm familiar with the artists you mentioned, but that sounds awesome. As you can likely tell by my stuff, I like that style and would love to see the piece you mentioned.
LMBO@ Greenie . . . we may have to make this an HBO "After Dark" Special ;)
LOL, GD...."Plant String Divas"????
I can't find the Indian painting, but here is her painting that we bought. I'll keep looking for the Indian.
Ok cool deal Connie. . .Wow that's a great piece . . . what's the medium? Acrylics?
lol Greenie . . . if I'd have known this is where this thread was going when I opened it . . . I would have named it . . .
Butterfly Bush - Royal Red variety - how much heat can you handle?
lol
Phew...just got in from work...did someone say nursery tour? Plant swaps? Now THAT'D be interestin'. greenie67...is your variety of lavender lantana a wild type? My nursery-bought lavender variety is really low-growing, sort of like the white...but this wild variety is really tall and pretty! GD, I'll hang onto some TBP seeds for ya...just in case a swap or tour actually happens ;) It'd be fun to meet other DG'ers
Sounbs great . . . I'b love some of those TDP seebs . . . err ummm I mean . . . Sounds great . . . I'b love some of those TBP seeds ;) lol
Indeed it would be . . . not sure how that works . . . or who has to get the ball rolling on something like that, but I'm game. (as long as I don't have to dance :P)
LOL...now cut that out...! I'm bleery (dleery)? eyed enough this morning...lol I'm awaitin' for my hot tea to kick in... :) Hey...was it my imagination or did I feel a keen coolness in the air this early am? Mighty fine morning... :) My resident singing mockingbird is proclaiming that my yard...and the aforesaid crispy cow pasture is alll his.. lol Even had a wren scuffle in my old cow skull this morning, lol..
Why shore, I'll hang onto those odd seed pods. (obb?) ;) What is this about no dancing? :o We need a 30 minute gourd rattlin'....for an hour long Texas thunder boomer...lol
>
Yeah it's actually been very nice the last two mornings. I thought I was see'n things when my thermo on the front pourch read 60 something . . . I had to do a double take.
It's been pretty nice for a change. I couldn't have picked a better day to seal coat my driveway . . . was nice an semi-cool in the AM while we worked on it and then got nice and toasty in the afternoon and dried it all up very nicely.
Sounds like a fair trade . . . a pob for a pob? :D
Ok maybe just a little 1/2 hour song and dance, but you gotta play the rattle while I do the flute/drum parts :)
GD: The painting is "mult-media"...is that what it's called? It has parts in oils...the right side...then I think the big swirl parts are acrylics...there's some metallic stuff in one place...
Here is the painting I knew you would want to see. Couldn't fine one, so I just took this.
About a "Roundup" or "Nursery Tour." (I just did this for Austin, so here's what I did.)
First you post a thread under "Texas Gardening" and title it "San Antonio Roundup?"
In your first post, say you are planning one and want to know when people might be available...either week day or weekend day. It will just go from there. You might want to see the one I started...it's called Austin Nursery Tour...something like that. Half the fun is the anticipation...all the weeks of planning. And then, after the event, someone should post another thread called "Pictures of San Antonio Roundup (or Nursery Tour...or whatever you call it)" Again, you can go to our thread and check it out.
Very nice Connie. . .That's another great piece . . . I can see what you meant now :) And yes, that's the proper term @ mixed medium :)
Hmmmmm ok . . . well then . . . someone needs to start that thread then huh? :) My schedule is pretty flexible since I work for myself. Maybe one of the seasoned vets around here will get that ball rolling soon? (hint hint) lol
By the way...is the Royal Red BB a pinkish red, or orangy red?? I use the latter in my gardens, but nothing leaning to pinks (well. not for now! :) so I'm interested in a pic of the blooms, if you have one.
Actually, it's more of a purple than red looking bloom to me . . . The individual flowers that make up the bloom on the Royal Red ones have a white mid-section to the flower with a deep red / maroon dot in the very middle.
The ones I ordered called 'Twilight' have more of a solid purple flower with the same deep red dot in the middle. Basically the same bloom structure and color, minus the white.
I'll attach a close-up photo of the Royal Red one I have now.
And here's a link to the one I ordered - with photos.
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/buddavidiitwilight.htm
Hope that helps :)
Yes, it does! That's the purple I've seen and was curious to see the BB in some kind of "red."!~ I don't know why the plant "namers" don't stick to color names we all know. I once hunted high and low for a certain "orange" rose, only to find out it was pink!~!! haha
Well, that's because it would make things WAY to easy and heavens forbid they do something as logical as that ;)