Why did all my butterfly bushes die? :(

[Beth_B]

Last spring I planted four... three at my house, one at a neighbor's house. They grew and bloomed all season.

I'm pretty sure all of them are dead though. No signs of life (everything else is just starting to come up fine) and the outer twigs are brittle and snap off. Any ideas why? We didn't have an extremely cold winter and the ones at my house were mulched.

I'm sad. The nursery does have a one year guarantee, but I know I didn't keep the receipts.

 

[Everbrown]

I think I would wait and see for a while longer, ours that has around for many years hasn't started showing any signs of 'spring wake up' yet.

 

[Beth_B]

We are in similar zones...
I'm not giving up on them just yet. But I don't see any green when I scratch the lower stalks near the ground, and was able to snap one off easily there too.

Last year was my first time planting butterfly bushes, maybe this is normal for them! Here's pics of the one at my neighbor's house.

 

[MaryMary]

I don't grow them, so I'm not sure, but google-fu to the rescue!!

The important thing to remember is that these are tough plants. There is almost nothing wrong you can do. ...(snip)... The normal life cycle of this bush is to go dormant in zones 5 and 6. At this point the canes above ground are dead. They can then be pruned to the ground. This is usually sometime after frost.
https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm

In northern regions, winter may kill the growths to the ground. As long as the roots survive, new shoots should emerge and produce blooms the same summer, just in time for butterfly season. https://plantcaretoday.com/butterfly-bush-plant-care.html

Maybe the stalks are dead, and yours will come back from the roots?

 

[Beth_B]

Great catch, MaryMary! Thanks!

I googled last year and found what looked to be sound advice not to prune them. Or, only to prune back the larger branches so they didn't break under the weight of snow. Which seems rather redundant advice...

Great. I'll be looking for new growth then. And this winter (if all goes well) I will cut them back after the first killing frost.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Mine died too, a few years ago, I just moved on. and found that Joe Pye Weed attracts more butterflys than the butterfly bush . Have a wonderful crop of it.

 

[Beth_B]

Thanks Esther, I will see if it comes back up. I've read good things about Joe Pye; if my current bushes don't come back I'm definitely not planting them again!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

wise gardener friend of mine says -----got to go with what works. and also know when to pull a plant and toss.

 

[Beth_B]

Yep! Wise words. I'll see if MaryMary's links are correct and give them a little more time. It's still early spring here

 

[Beth_B]

They're alive! I see the tiniest of shoots coming up at the base of the plants today. I guess they are just slow starters.

 

[Becky]

Glad to hear it @Beth_B

 

[Bootsy]

They're almost impossible to kill with neglect or climate so they should be OK.

 

[ArtCKt]

I thought the same thing! Dead looking through the middle of May. (zone 6) I was about to rip out 3-year-old plants. Nope! After reading this thread, I did notice tiny sprouts at the base. I should have known. I previously regrew a monstrous river birch that was destroyed in a storm the same way. The roots want to live! It regrew to a towering specimen in no time. There's a moral in there somewhere!