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My Butterfly bush? Too much water?

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
by Mikizinaniisii on May 21, 2004 04:17 PM
Will too much rain, cause a butterfly bush to begin yellowing at the base of the plant? I planted it 3 weeks ago, at the east end of the house for morning sun, to about 5 PM sun. It has been mulched around, and I used potting soil that is designed to allow for good drainage, however living on a mountian in West Virginia, the clay mud does tend to "hold" water for longer periods.

Mikizinaniisii
by gardenmom32210 on May 21, 2004 04:30 PM
Hi and Welcome to the Garden Helper [wayey]
Is your butterfly bush in direct sunlight all day? I looked in 2 of my books and they said they only need 4-6 hours of direct light. I dont know if this will help,but I figured I'd give it a shot.

Karen [grin]
by Mikizinaniisii on May 21, 2004 07:32 PM
Forgive my sloppiness, here I am trying to learn how to post and reply yet.

The Bush gets about 4 to 6 hours direct sunlight, which is semi blocked by the bird bath that sits in front of it. This way, it is partially shaded a good part of the morning, between the bird bath and the porch anyway.

The only other thing I can think of myself that might cause this, is slugs or grubs in the soil. This area is loaded with both and one of the slugs that we have is protected by law.

Miki
by Arctostaphylos on May 21, 2004 08:38 PM
It does sound like too much water to me... in our area (California) Butterfly Bush is very hardy and the only thing I have ever seen as a problem is too much water. I have seen them in full sun all day locations and never seen sun as a problem. The first thing that comes to mind is, is the plant planted too low? It is very common for plants to sink after planting, particullary in clay soils, make sure it is not anly lower than it was in the container. Good luck.
by Mikizinaniisii on May 21, 2004 09:51 PM
When I planted it, I planted it very shallow. Meaning it (the root system) is very close to the surface. I did this knowing that these are plants that are deep rooting. I read that they roots can extend 8 to 10 feet down and out, over time. I dug a hole about 2 feet round, (pot size) by about 3 feet deep (again pot size) filled the hole with the plant, and added pebbles to the bottom to ensure drainage. I have noticed other butterfly bushes that are doing very well in this area. Wonder what I did wrong...I know could be about anything.
Miki

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