Wow, they really are show stoppers.:) I have come to a conclusion. The plant that somebody told me was a BB is probably not. It doesn't look anything like pictures I've seen. I hope I haven't planted a thug in my yard.:( I'll try to take a picture of it today. I saw some tricolor BB at a Plant Haus in Kerrville. Almost bought it. But I just can't decide which color I want. But them if I get the tricolor I don't have to choose.:) Does it stay a tricolor or does it revert back to something else?
Buddleia (butterfly bush)
(silverflutter) tricolor?
Is this the ever-eluding pink-purple-white?
Or are you referring to some variagated pattern on the leaves?
The one I saw was at the Plant Haus in Kerrville. They had several of them in 1 gallon pots. There were a few blooms and they were definitely not all the same color. I don't think I saw one with all three colors, but they will probably get there. The leaves were just like all the other ones. I think I'll go back and get some.
There's one in the new Park Seed catalog that's Bicolor. It has lemon/orange and raspberry colors all on the same bloom panicle. It says the panicles are 5 to 6 inches long and fragrant. A one quart pot is $12.95. I'm still trying to get my plain ole' pink one to recover. I don't know if it was too much rain or too dry after all the rain let up. I've whacked it back and we'll see what happens. It's certainly not happy right now!
probably too much water. I have NEVER watered mine and it is right against the street
mine is over 7' tall and about 4-5' wide
I don't know if anybody is still watching this thread, but I'm wondering if anybody grows BB in sandy soil? A nursery person here in town told me that it needs afternoon shade in this area even in good soil. We bought a lot and built a wood shop and I'm trying to landscape now. This place is only about 8 blocks from my house,but the difference in soil is huge, because it's so sandy. It's almost like a beech. We had some top soil brought in, but I don't think it's going to make a lot of difference.
Here in Tidewater Virginia where the soil is very sandy, Butterfly bushes thrive. In fact the Master Gardeners seem to consider them 'invasive'. I haven't witnessed uncontrollable invasiveness - maybe slight aggressiveness - but my two BB are now four or five. I haven't decide if it's a result of natural tip layering or whether they have come up from underground shoots. The common one (Davidii?) is the culprit. Except for humidity, we have a similar climate I would say...
Had them in the Texas clay/dirt here for four seasons. I would say certainly not invasive, although they have gotten quite big. I deadhead mine (that oughta be a nice thread starter).
It stays pretty much in control with this treatment.
WJ
Subyz and Sublimaze what kind of sun do yours get? I have a spot on the south side and another on the east side. The ground is so sandy I'm surprised I'm not diggin' up seashells.lol
Sun ...
Probably 8-10 hours of direct SPF-30 type of sun in the mid summer, and in the winter, it doesn't really count, but maybe five to six hours ... max.
The live oak on the east side of the bushes is getting pretty large now, and does make the first two or three hours of summer sun speckled, but that's it.
WJ
I went ahead and planted it on the east side and mixed lots of really good garden dirt in with the native dirt. I dug a humongous hole and tossed out alot of the native stuff. It got nipped by the freeze on the top growth, but near the base it's still green. I'm hoping for a mild winter.:)
Silver,
you should be fine. one thing I have learned from "digging holes" here in Texas is the "iron bathtub" phenomenon ... that is, if you don't have decent drainage, all this Tx clay will compact with the rain and form a tub that will lift your bush right out of the ground with the first powering rain.
Sound like the voice of experience?
he he he he
W J
At least it "lifted" it! Here it will just hold water and rot it... how do you pull the bathtub plug?
There are three ways to "pull the plug"
(1) when you dig the hole, make it a trench with some sort of run-off area
(2) - what I did - "T" in a fenestrated piece of pvc pipe wrapped in cheese cloth (okay, not really cheese cloth, but I can't think of what they call it now) into an existing set of french drains.
(3) make it a really big bathtub and mix your clay in with 3-1 soil (soil, sand, rocks) to absorb some of the rain.
None are full-proof, but they certainly help. And, yes podster, it does serve to be a bit disconcerting when you look in the back yard and see your japanese yews lying on their side :)
W J
LOL ~ sorry! I am sure that was a shock. Good info for the options you offer too ~ Thank you. pod
Well, so far so good. Can't wait for spring though. Spring is my favorite time of year. This year, not only do I have my yard to take care of, but now I have beds to plant at our shop. I am really itchin' to get out there and dig!