Buddleia part blown over - please help

Hi everyone,

this is my first post. I have a very large Buddleia in my garden (at least 13ft tall) which has been blown over in the wind (well partly blown over). It is leaning at around 35-40 degrees off centre against my greenhouse and some of the roots have started to come out of the ground on one side.

It hasn't been pruned for a couple of years and it is very big. I was going to attempt to take it down in height and then try to re-plant it.

What are everyone's thoughts? Can this be saved?

NB - it is the purple buddleia, I think it might be called Buddleia Davidii (please excuse the spelling if incorrect).

Many thanks in advance.

Mac

 

They respond well to pruning. In fact they're indestructible to pruning! Not sure about replanting, but if you give it a haircut now and a proper pruning in spring, then it'll be easier to keep it in order so it won't be in the way so much (I assume that's why you want to move it?).

 

Hi Aaron, thanks for the reply. I meant re-planting it in the same place it is already as it has partly blown over. I was really wondering how to do this as some of the roots have been ripped up - I am a real novice gardener. Should I stake it into the ground after the initial pruning?

 

Hi Marley,

thanks very much fo the sound advice - looks like the weather will be dry in the South East tomorrow and I'm off work this week so will be using my loppers in December - a first for me!

PS - should I use some top soil to fill in any gaps?

 

13 feet is pretty high and big. Cutting back and staking will result in a plant the isn't firmly in the ground and will still suffer with wind rock and you will be disappointed

I would cut it back and take the roots out. You can then select a 2 foot piece of stem and insert that in the ground above 1 foot deep and watch it re-grow in the spring.

You need to get the existing buddleia off the greenhouse asap.

buddleias should be pruned hard, first in the autumn down to about 2'6" and then in late winter(\\feb) to 18" or lower.

 

I agree with what others have said. Even if you chop it right down to about a foot in height, it will be back. It won't be too upset about the root damage. It seems to thrive on being hacked to bits. It flowers better if you're brutal with it.

 

Thanks for the reply, when you say take a 2 feet piece of stem, would that be one of the main stems from the bottom? The tree is quite thick with quite a few stems. Would I pick the biggest one?

 

about thumb thickness. Trim the cutting at the base to just below a pair of leaves and the top to just above a pair of leaves. If you put in a 2 or 3 it gives you either contingency or spare plants.

 

Every year I would cut it down to nearly ground level. It is the easiest pruning technique to understand. Not only do you reinvigorate the plant but you have flowers at 4, 5 or 6 feet instead of having to crane your neck to see them at 13 feet. It will grow to 6 or 7 feet after each annual pruning.

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I thought I'd post a couple of pics to show you what I did. Basically I took the advice of Marley Farley and cut it down to around 3 feet, staked it (3 very amateurish stakes) and filled and supported with 2 bags of top soil. I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting the waste up for bagging (still not finished!).

Do you think I've butchered it too much? How long will it take to root again?

Regards, Mac

Before (1)


Before (2)


After

 

Looks fine to me, although I wouldn't leave it at that. Next spring, maybe late March, depending on where you are and how soon things come back to life in your area, I'd cut it again. Maybe give it 4 weeks of growing season to mend its roots a bit, then see where there are leaves growing out close to ground level? I'd cut off everything above those and let the new shoots be the new shrub. Don't worry about it being set back, they'll soon be back up again as though nothing happened.

 

thats a fine looking job.

Agree with clueless about cutting back. What I would do also is with a sharp spade just cut right through all the roots in a circle about 18" from the stump. This will encourage the shrub to make new roots and I would do that now.