Is my Butterfly Bush dead? (2024)

FAQs

Is my Butterfly Bush dead? ›

Try gently twisting a stem around your finger - if it snaps off, it's probably dead, but if it bends, it's probably alive. If it's late in the spring and you discover dead growth on your butterfly bush, prune it away. New growth can only come from living stems, and this should encourage it to start growing.

Alive stems are firm, yet still pliable. When you cut or scrape them, there will be a green cast on the inside. If the stems are dry and brittle, they are likely dead and should be removed. Finding a few dead branches doesn't mean it's the end!

Butterfly bushes are perennial plants that die back to the ground every winter. They then send out new growth from the roots in the spring. You can prune them either in the late fall or in the early spring before the new growth starts. It is best to prune them back to about 12 inches from the ground.

Their roots are sensitive to rotting, and if they spend any amount of time in wet soil, they can be set back or even die. Most of the time, if you lose a butterfly bush after winter, it wasn't due to low temperatures or snow or ice – it was because the plant sat in cold, wet soil in fall or spring.

Depending upon the severity of winter, your butterfly bush may appear dead in spring. Don't despair. Even when a butterfly bush doesn't develop leaf buds on the previous year's branches, it will usually sprout new growth from the root system. Be patient though.

For one, try the “scratch test.” Scrape a small area of one of the branch's outer bark with your fingernail. If you spot signs of green underneath, your shrub is still alive. If you don't see green, try another area on the shrub.

New growth emerges when spring rolls around, but some plants hit the “snooze” button instead of waking up early. Butterfly bush is notorious for waking up a little later than the rest. Give them a few extra weeks in the spring to push out new growth. In cold climates, you may have to wait until late May or early June!

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 bushes should be cut back to a foot tall to promote new growth and the best blooms. You can cut the shrub back to ground level; however, you take the risk of late frost or freeze killing new growth and losing the plant. Hard pruning is done in late February or early March depending on your climate.

Sow butterfly bush seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost date using a seed starting kit. Sow seeds shallowly in seed-starting formula, or just barely press in. Keep the soil moist at 70-75 degrees F. Seedlings emerge in 7-21 days.

What is wrong with my butterfly bush? ›

Phytophthora Root Rot

Plants growing in very wet or waterlogged soils are most susceptible to infection. Overwatering container-grown Butterfly Bush can also lead to rotting of the root system, although the rot is more likely to be caused by cultural issues than an actual fungus.

Our winter is typically too cold for butterflies to stay active, so they spend the coldest months in a dormant state - technically insects don't hibernate, but it's a very similar process. Most pass the winter as caterpillars, a chrysalis or an egg, but a few species spend the winter as adult butterflies.

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. You can prune this shrub back to twelve or twenty-four inches high. For most plants, that's a drastic reduction.

Pruning will encourage new leaves and flowers as you water and add the necessary plant nutrients. Trimming your bush is also an excellent way to keep the bushes neater while giving the direction of proper growth. Be sure the bushes are not infected with any disease such as mold or insect infestation.

There are a couple of possibilities for the wilted stems. Butterfly Bush strongly dislikes soggy or poorly-drained soils, so depending on the watering frequency or water flow near this planting bed, they may be getting too wet.