A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 I think I killed my butterfly bushes

I forgot to water my new butterfly bushes and now one is just 3 dead looking sticks (that problem was compounded by leaving it in the pot too long before planting). The other that was perfectly healthy 6 weeks ago is planted on a slope in red clay and looking mighty shriveled. The flowers are small but still good, the bottom leaves are dried out and the upper ones are kind of shrivelly looking. I just soaked them but are there any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Try working some compost around your plants this winter to help your plants cope with that red clay!!! ;-)

U might continue watering your "dead butterfly bushes"... the roots might still be alive and they may surprise u with new growth from below!!!

I agree with Bob. Mine were VERY slow to come around after I transplanted them this spring. I kept watering but I thought for sure they were gonners. If yours are on a slope, is it holding water or just running by with the clay? Maybe you could create a little swale around the base to be sure the water is holding. We're pretty much at the end of flowering here, and I'll miss their sweet fragrance. It's so fun to walk by and get "attacked" by a swarm of butterflies. Best of luck!

Thanks to both of you for your suggestions. It turns out that my clinical instructor is a master gardener and when I raised the subject she became quite incensed that I had not amended the soil. I've planted and transplanted lots of things before without amending the soil. She said I had to dig it up, make the hole three times the size, add mushroom compost and something else I forgot the name of and then replant. I think I'll try the compost and the swale.

I think you should put big rocks around the base of the plant at least around the bottom where the water runs down. That will help to hold some water near the plant instead of it running away down the hill. And put cedar mulch on them too. To hold moisture in. I always make sure I put mulch on new plants just a safety precaution to keep moisture in. They might have had an insect on them that killed them. I am definately not an expert but I do have one steep hill where I have ground cover roses. The soil is rocky and STEEP. I saw that the roses were looking dry and wilted. I put rocks around the plant to hold in water and mulch and they perked up and are doing fine now. I also put a female praying manthis on them to control any insects. I think praying manthis eats butterflies so I would not suggest that for your butterfly bushes.

I forgot one thing re your butterfly bushes...It might have been a grub or other underground snacker. So you might want to put some insect control in the soil when you replant.

oops forgot to mention the type of insect control. I use cinnamon, or pepper in the soil to control insects anytime I plant something new. The cedar mulch will help control insects too.

if you planted that thing in clay i would not dig a huge hole and put fertilizer or compost in.the clay will fill up like a bath tub next good rain you get and rot the roots of your flowers.clay holds water very well.what i would suggest is that if you have clay all around your yard the next bush that you plant put it partially in the ground and then make raised beds.that will at least give your plants some oxygen and the whole roots system won't be under water!

so have the bushes survived??? My bush is pretty hardy...its goes forever in the summer without water. In the winter, it looks like a massive clump of dead sticks, but its really just taking a snooze. Was just wondering what ever happend with them?

they look like dead sticks - I guess I'll know for sure in another few weeks.