Growing Concerns: State blacklists butterfly bush as noxious weed | Whidbey News-Times (2024)
That old standard of country gardens, the butterfly bush, has been blacklisted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
November 24, 2004 7:00 am
That old standard of country gardens, the butterfly bush, has been blacklisted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The State’s Noxious Weed Control Board classified Buddleia davidii, the most popular species of butterfly bush, as a Class C noxious weed.
Concern about the invasion of natural areas by the ornamental shrub led to the listing, according to Steve McGonigal, executive director of the State Noxious Weed Control Board. The state defines noxious weeds as non-native, invasive plants that are highly destructive, competitive or difficult to control, and, once established, threaten Washington’s natural resources and economy. That’s quite an indictment for that familiar, fragrant shrub beloved by butterflies and gardeners alike.
The Class C listing, which takes effect in 2005, won’t prohibit sales of butterfly bush, nor will we be required to yank it out. However, McGonigal encourages gardeners to cut off the flower clusters after they’ve bloomed and put them in the trash, rather than the compost bin. By deadheading and disposing of the spent flowers, gardeners can help stop the spread of wind-borne seeds. B. davidii, native to China, has been colonizing in wild areas and along roadsides, crowding out native plants that butterflies rely upon for survival. While butterflies are certainly attracted to B. davidii, their lives don’t depend upon it.
Washington isn’t the only place where butterfly bush is a problem. England and New Zealand, as well as several states on the Eastern seaboard, recognize B. davidii as an environmental threat. Oregon put it on its noxious weed list earlier this year.
To add insult to injury, and further confuse gardeners, botanists who classify plants have declared the spelling of the shrub’s botanical name is incorrect. Apparently, it should be Buddleja (yes, with a “j”), despite a couple of centuries with the original spelling. I choose not to change it until I’m commanded to do so by the Great Green Goddess of Gardening. The pronunciation hasn’t changed. It’s still pronounced BUD-lee-ah.
The shrub was named for Reverend Adam Buddle, the 17th century botanist who brought the first butterfly bush to England in 1774. In his honor, the plant was originally named “Globose Buddlebush.” I think I’ll stick to butterfly bush.
Gardeners can still enjoy the beauty of Buddleias without endangering the environment. The genus includes more than 100 species and cultivars. Most full-service nurseries will order them for you, if they don’t have them in stock. Another option is to send for them through the Internet. One site with less invasive butterfly bushes is www.butterflygardeners.com/buddleia.
If you’d like further information on the noxious weed control board, go to www.nwcb.wa.gov.
Amaryllis
won’t bloom?
Last week I received an e-mail from Leah Ann, who has an amaryllis that bloomed beautifully the first year. Since then it has sent up greenery and developed another bulb, but no flowers. She wants to know why this otherwise healthy plant doesn’t bloom.
First of all, Leah Ann, are you allowing the plant to go dormant in the fall? Like most plants that grow from bulbs, it needs a rest period or it won’t bloom. As I mentioned in my last column, put it in a cool room and stop watering and fertilizing. The foliage will yellow and you can then cut it back. Within a few weeks, the flower spike should appear. Return it to the windowsill and resume watering and feeding.
During the growing season, use a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer every second or third watering. I’ve used several well-known brands with good results, but some growers recommend an African violet fertilizer. Don’t give it any more than recommended on the label.
Amaryllis doesn’t mind being pot bound as long as it’s fed and watered, but if it’s bursting at the seams, carefully move it to a pot not much bigger than the bulb. Do this just as the flower stalk is beginning to develop, being careful not to disturb the roots. Use porous soil with some peat moss or Perlite added. Add a little compost, and to kick-start your slow bloomer, Leah Ann, try a teaspoonful of bone meal. Be sure to leave the top third of the bulb exposed.
I hope this helps, Leah Ann. If that reluctant amaryllis still won’t bloom, relegate it to the compost pile and buy another bulb, now that stores have a good variety in stock.
Mariana Graham writes this biweekly column as part of her volunteer efforts as an Island County Master Gardener. E-mail her at [email protected].
The State's Noxious Weed Control Board classified Buddleia davidii
Buddleia davidii
Summer lilac most commonly refers to Buddleja davidii, a widely cultivated ornamental shrub also known as the butterfly bush. It may also refer to: Other Buddleja species and cultivars. Hesperis matronalis, a herbaceous plant also known as dame's rocket and sweet rocket.
, the most popular species of butterfly bush, as a Class C noxious weed. Concern about the invasion of natural areas by the ornamental shrub led to the listing, according to Steve McGonigal, executive director of the State Noxious Weed Control Board.
The states of Washington and Oregon have banned it along with many of the new varieties of Buddleia due to this aggressiveness and it cannot be shipped to, or sold in those states.
Invasive plants have the ability to spread quickly and choke out native plant life. While the flowers provide some nectar for butterflies, butterfly bushes are not host plants for any North American butterflies.
Butterfly bush was added to the Washington State Noxious Weed list in 2006. In Oregon, the ODA (Oregon's Department of Agriculture) officially classified it as a class “B” noxious weed in 2004.
Chemical control: Controlling butterfly bush by spraying with a brush-control herbicide is somewhat effective, but for better results, cut the trunk off at the base and apply concentrated glyphosate (such as in Roundup) or triclopyr (such as in Garlon or Brush B Gon) to the freshly cut surface.
For sunny, open garden or landscape plantings, try Sweet Pepperbush, also called Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) or Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica). For wetter soils, try Buttonbush (Cephalanthis occidentalis)—a food source for moths—or New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus).
Typically, a butterfly bush will live about 10 years. You may find some plants that live longer than that, but it's a rare case. Proper care of a butterfly bush will help it live longer and thrive in your garden.
butterfly bush contributes to the collapse of food webs
“If you don't have that, the plant-caterpillar-chickadee food web stops,” Tallamy explains. “If you plant butterfly bush, and not native [species], then right away you're removing at least 75% of the food that is supporting the biodiversity that's out there.”
But without regular pruning, butterfly bushes can become sparse, and flowering can diminish, leaving next to nothing for pollinators. So keep pruning to keep the butterflies coming to your garden for years to come!
Burning bush has been listed as an invasive plant in over 20 states and banned in several others, including Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. We encourage you to check with local garden centers or the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health to see if your region considers the plant invasive.
As you can imagine, the butterfly bush is famous for attracting butterflies, though hummingbirds enjoy its large, fragrant flowers as well. This perennial can grow five to 12 feet tall and spread four to 15 feet. Blossom colors vary, but pink, purple, red and white are the most common.
Caterpillars, also called larvae, emerge from the eggs and become voracious eaters of the butterfly weed and other milkweeds of the Asclepias genus. With their yellow, white, and black bands, the monarch caterpillars are easily recognizable.
Cut back all of the top growth, so you don't have branches in the way when you start digging. Then dig deeply around the rootball, and pull it up when it's fully loose.
Butterfly bushes do not need to be pruned every year. In fact, you only need to prune them when they get too large for the space allotted. But since butterfly bushes only bloom on new growth many gardeners prune them severely each spring to encourage lots of new growth and lots of flowers.
The best solution in cold climates is to put a light layer of mulch over the roots but instead of applying it all the way up to the main stem like you would on other plants, taper off the thickness so that the few inches immediately surrounding the center of the plant are bare and free of mulch.
Burning bush has been listed as an invasive plant in over 20 states and banned in several others, including Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. We encourage you to check with local garden centers or the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health to see if your region considers the plant invasive.
Butterfly bush can be a very aggressive, or invasive non-native shrub that, in certain situations, can overtake native vegetation, according to horticulturists with the Oregon State University Extension Service and weed biologists with Oregon's Department of Agriculture (ODA).
Despite its beauty, butterfly bush has a few drawbacks here in Florida. Many cultivars are highly prone to rust and mites. It's also highly susceptible to nematodes. So if you'd like to enjoy this butterfly-attracting plant, grow it in a large container, or be prepared for the plant to only last a few years.
Butterfly bush is best planted in the spring or fall. If planting in fall, make sure to get them in the ground well before first frost in order to develop a good root system before colder temperatures set in.
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