[Grubbypaws]

I am growing dwarf buddleia in large containers for the butterflies they will attract. All looked good until a few days ago when I noticed that some leaves were turning yellow. When I explored further I found several areas where the leaves had died and were crumbling away. Now the growing tips are turning brown and the tiny leaves are falling off. They have been watered and are in a sunny position. The containers are well drained. What is going on?

[mrs bouquet]

I don't know what is going on, except mine are the same.The big one which I have grown into a tree rather than a bush is half yellow, half greenish.   It did have bugs on it, and when it was smaller I sprayed it, I think they may well be red spider mites.  The ants are very busy going up and down the trunk.    The dwarf ones, well, one is planted in the ground and is now about 6ft ! one is in a large pot and is growing sideways and down.  (not my planting, I promise), the third is in the ground, and about 12 inches H.   So if you find an answer please let me know    Good luck, Mrs Bouquet

[mrs bouquet]

Hi Grubbypaws.    How are your Buddleia doing now.  My tall tree one, has no leaves hardly now, but the flowers have been ok.   regards  Mrs Bouquet

[Grubbypaws]

Still about the same I am afraid. Lots of brown leaves and dying growth points, no flowers.

[Grubbypaws]

The garden centre says it is due to overwatering and sun scorch over which I have definitely had no control this summer 

I am still not sure though. The plants are putting out lots of new growth and trying to flower. I can see where the plants are trying to produce flowers but they just whither and die when tiny.

The pots are filled with a generic multi-purpose compost and I wonder if this could be the problem. Should I re pot them next year in a less nutritions medium? Maybe  John Innes 2?? Or should I give up an admit that these green fingers cant grow a Buddleia!!!

[Goosegirl]

Buddleias seem to seed and grow wherever they want including waste land so maybe they prefer a very dry poor soil?

[Snowpea]

I would have to agree with Goosegirl about Buddleia liking poor dry soil. I also think they do well on a bit of neglect.
Where I live in Australia the soil is very heavy clay. In fact I have patches that I have dug up and actually used in my pottery classes and made into pots. But I digress. Any way you get the idea of the type of dirt I am dealing with. We also get summers hotter than hades. 35+ degrees C. We also get sub zero temperatures in winter, sometimes down to -8.  My two Buddleia are planted outside in full sun with no shade and no frost protection and are never watered, unless it comes out of the sky.   When they get out of hand I just chop them down at ground level and they soon re sprout.  I treat the summer flowering and winter flowering varieties the same. One note: my summer flowering buddleia finally died last year, it was 30 odd years old and it had developed some sort of rot at the base. I took cuttings and intend to replant them this spring. The winter flowering one is still going strong. It too is 30 odd years old.   
Hope this might be of some use.

[Fairy Plotmother]

The garden centre says it is due to overwatering and sun scorch over which I have definitely had no control this summer 

I am still not sure though. The plants are putting out lots of new growth and trying to flower. I can see where the plants are trying to produce flowers but they just whither and die when tiny.

The pots are filled with a generic multi-purpose compost and I wonder if this could be the problem. Should I re pot them next year in a less nutritions medium? Maybe  John Innes 2?? Or should I give up an admit that these green fingers cant grow a Buddleia!!!

I have sun scorch on a magnolia and a bay which are both in pots! My huge buddleia, also 30 odd years old, however happens to be mostly in shade and is fine. Mind you when I was cutting it back in the spring half of it came away in my hand. It was rotten at the base so I suppose I will have to replace it sooner rather than later.

[JayG]

Attached pic shows how to successfully grow buddleia (essentially, don't sweep your drive as often as some of your neighbours do.  )

More seriously, I suppose it must have some preferences, but mollycoddling doesn't appear to be one of them!