We would like to thank our friend Mary from Utah for sharing her photos and giving permission to show her letter with questions about the plant care for Butterfly Bushes ~ Buddleia davidii.
Mary's letter is especially important because her Butterfly Bushes were grown from seeds she received when she sent for a Six Pack SASE!
Close-up of Butterfly Bush.
Right:
Hedgerow of Butterfly Bushes.
Hi Trudi,
I live in Utah and last year you sent to me a package of seeds to get me started in winter sowing last January.
Thanks so much!!
You're very welcome! I'm glad that you're delighted with the SASE seeds.
Attached are the photos of butterfly plants that came from your seeds. These butterfly plants are so healthy!
They look beautiful! Congratulations on your success!
I just am so proud of them and wanted to say thank you so much for teaching me about winter sowing. I am a new gardener and having the time of my life.
Winter Sowing is wonderful for new gardeners, it does make gardening a lot easier when you can grow a garden of easy-to-care-for plants for almost no money. WinterSown plants are very hardy and thrive once they're established.
I do have three questions for you if you don't mind. I have these plants along the drive way as you can see in the attached pictures, with more plants that you can not see covering an area of the same size. It is a L_O_N_G drive way and I wanted something that would give some privacy from neighbors. I planted these plants about a foot apart.
1. Would you recommend that I take some out or will they be okay planted so closely together. I hope for total privacy in a few years. The flower garden they are planted in is three feet wide so......
They're being grown as a hedge. Hedges are deliberately grown close together so that they create a living wall that functions as a barrier. It makes it difficult for large critters or people to pass through the close stems and branches.
Butterfly Bushes can be partially deciduous--depending upon your winter climate they may lose some or most of their leaves. In very cold zones, they can die back to the ground but resprout and rapidly grow from the same rootstock the following spring. This coming season will show how the butterfly bushes are effected by your regional winter in Utah. If the butterfly bushes die back to the ground, you cannot count on them for year round hedging, but they still will make lovely screening during the growing season.
2. Do you think the butterfly bushes will work here without causing the neighbors any trouble. Their yard is the grassy area next to our driveway.
Butterfly Bushes love sunny sites. A lawn on one side and a driveway on the other won't have tall structures which can block the sun. The bushes are going to attract butterflies--which are always a joy to see. Butterfly Bushes do respond to pruning and can be shaped vertically like a wall. Along my own driveway I've planted a hedge of wintersown Elderberries. I've talked to my neighbor about the hedge and she is quite happy with the bushes--their flowers are softly scented and they too will attract butterflies, later on birds will come for the berries. My neighbor likes the natural look, she and her family will also enjoy watching the butterflies and birds. Talk to your neighbors and ask their preferences on how the hedge should be pruned on their side. Do they want a tight wall or do they like a softer, more natural look? Either way, the bushes will still flower and attract butterflies. It's important to be a good neighbor, so I suggest that you prune their side as they like.
My last question is what would happen if we let the snow blower blow snow on these plant this winter. We usually used this flower garden for dumping the snow off the driveway. But now that plants are growing in this bed......
3. Do you think that dumping snow/shoveling snow about two to three feet deep would kill the plants? If so please advise and we will have to come up with another plan for the snow.
Snow is very insulating. It protects the ground and plant stems from desiccating winds. As long as the ground drains well the butterfly bushes will thrive in that site.
Winter sowing is the coolest thing since sliced bread!!
Yes, it is!
Thanks you so much for all the help you give us, and the continued suggestions and advice we get on the forum. You are just amazing to keep all this information coming to us. I am having the time of my life!!
You're very welcome! I am having the time of my life with Winter Sowing too. The forum is a great place to talk about WS with experienced Winter Sowers, but for beginners it's a great place to find camaraderie too. We're a big family and everyone is welcome into it.
Thanks for your great letter!
Trudi
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