Butterfly bush sprouts?

[Slaughterrt]

Hello all,

We have a mature butterfly bush in the back yard and were considering adding a few more. In the process, we noticed quite a few little plant sprouts that sorta resembled the butterfly bush. Was hoping to have some sort of confirmation that these little guys are butterfly bushes (or not) and if so, what’s the best way to transplant them? I live in central New Jersey, if that helps with the zones.

Thanks
Rob

 

[Tetters]

No, those are not from the Buddleia (butterfly bush) those look like some kind of Polygonum, however that particular Buddleia is very likely to seed all by itself. It looks like the variety that spreads like fury all along our roadsides. It also proliferated on the London bomb sites after the war.
If you grow some more Buddleia varieties, look for the very dark purple one called ''black knight'' or the deep pink/mauve one called ''royal red'' and the lovely ''white profusion'' - the butterflies and bees will love you.
Welcome to the forums.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

They produce light, feathery seeds that drift on the wind, and like Tetters says it can rapidly become a weed. British rail spends millions every year fighting it, it is sociable to dead head it.

 

[Slaughterrt]

Thank you both for your replies. I am incredibly new to this and you guys have been very helpful. I had originally planned on buying a few more butterfly bushes, but when I went out and saw those little sprouts, I got excited. Oh well. As far as the bush spreading easily, I haven’t really noticed any others popping up in my yard anywhere (although I may not have noticed them if they were still tiny). I’ll have to take another good look. I was also considering taking some branch cuttings and trying to reroot that way, to start a few more plants. Looks “easy” enough from what I have read/watched online. But who knows. It does sound like a fun experiment to try with the kids though.

Thanks again
Rob

 

[Tetters]

This plant is very easy to take cuttings from, but you don't need a branch, and doing tip cuttings is best done a bit earlier in the year.
You need to make a clean cut just below a node, and put it into the soil/compost - in a cool place, and keep it damp.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Tetters is right, very easy to strike, with hormone rooting powder you probably get 100% success, but careful not to breath that stuff.

Watching bees, butterflies, and numerous varieties of small flies in my garden, there are a Buddleia, a Michaelmas daisy, and an Indian berry bush. All easy to grow, all attract insects. The daisy in particular is great as a 'last chance' for bees before winter.

 

[Tetters]

Oliver, in my job in the propagating sheds, I very quickly learned that rooting hormone had a very short life, and was only useful for an hour or two from being in the air. Most of the time (propagating shrubs and climbers) we didn't bother with it, and the results were no different anyway.
In my gardens I try to plant all perennials, and almost all single flowers to make life easier for insects to gather the nectar.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I admit I don't use it myself, I can get enough of something usually to allow for a few failures, and the idea of inhaling hormones really put me off, also last time I looked it was very expensive, in terms of my budget, a bit of sharp sand and something seaweed based is much cheaper and usually serves well.
One thing I have learned about cuttings is don't give up on them unless they are obviously dead. I have a nice variegated box I inherited from my father. When I trim it anything that is a potential cutting goes into a pot, they normally take six months or so to root, a nice,big white root when you turn the pot out, but those not rooted I turn back and check later, it sometimes takes eighteen months before I spot a root when I turn the pot out. Bay I have found the same, though that works better with the shoots that come up around the main plant.

Another way to try is layering, take a low branch and damage the bark slightly, then pin it down so the damaged area is soil covered, a tent peg works well in the ground, a U shaped piece of fairly stiff wire in a pot. Some plant, of course , layer themselves, like brambles