[mrs bouquet]

I have two small varieties planted in small pots.  The now need moving up.  What planting medium should I buy for this job.    Mrs Bouquet

[adri]

What are the varieties?  I've never seen buddleia in pots.

[mrs bouquet]

I cannot remember the varieties.  1 is white with a pretty yellow eye, that is in the ground and only grows to no higher than 4 ft.   1 is Magenta, whilst the other is pink.  I bought them from a grower by post.   Two are in 8 or 9 inch clay pots, and I now want to move one into an ornamental large tub, and plant the other, just wondered what to put in the tub, as I will have to buy in.  Sorry I cannot give you more info.  Mrs Bouquet

[adri]

If it were me I'd go for a 1:1:1 mix of John Innes No3, MPC and the best garden soil you can muster.

I'm no buddleia expert though.

I've got about 100 buddleia globosa in plug form at the moment which I'm scratching my head as to what to do with...apparently they propagate really well from seed so I've ended up with stacks of them...

[Yorkie]

If you are planting them into their permanent pots, the expert on my local gardening show would say John Innes No.3 every time as it provides the best nutrient combination and maximises the chance of not drying out.  If it's an intermediate potting up, then probably JI number 2.

[New shoot]

Ask 1 question, get 6 answers, but for what it is worth, imo John Innes is often way too heavy for use on its own.  I've tried permanently planted pots with just JI and they have not done well.

I use a mix of JI and multi-purpose, but Adri's mix sounds good as well.  JI is a recipe, not a brand, so it varies hugely.  The base soil used for the compost has a big effect on the resulting product.   As a rule I end up using 75 JI/25 mp, but if it is really heavy I adjust that.  You need a mix that will just about hold together if crunched up when damp in the palm of your hand, but will crumble at the slightest prod.  Aiming for a texture is sometimes easier than trying to give an exact ratio 

[mrs bouquet]

The pots are going to be permanent, and to be honest, given that they grow anywhere, I would probably use any old soil with some rubble in it.      However, I have got some half used bags knocking around and will also have some from other tubs.   So perhaps I will just use all of that mixed together with something from the Garden Centre to add some goodness.    So thank you all for your help and advice.  Mrs Bouquet

[Kleftiwallah]

Just a little aside abot buddlia, as a sprog there would be dozens of butterflies round every bush, but no more. mores the pity.

Cheers,  Tony

[RubyRed]

  You've answered your own question Mrs bouquet. They grow on every railway siding in poor impoverished soil  so I think it would be a waste of ji no 1.