Please deadhead your buddleia

[quanglewangle]

Buddleia causes significant damage to buildings including important historic ones. Industrial heritage here in Cornwall, such as mine buildings and railway bridges, is at risk from buddleia.

High up on crumbling masonry it is difficult and dangerous to remove.

Simple early deadheading and disposal of seeding flowers goes a long way to limiting the spread.

[Bren In Pots]

QW they're springing up everywhere there's a bit of waste ground and lots at the sides of the railway and rivers around here.

[ameno]

Mine never seems to produce viable seeds, for some reason.
I basically never deadhead mine, and I always just shred and compost the seed heads along with all of the stems, and yet I never get any buddleia seedlings coming up in my garden, or my compost, or in neighbouring gardens. It's very odd...

There are a lot spreading about elsewhere in town, though. There's an all cattle market near me and the entire area (concrete hard-standing, I might add) is just a forest of buddleia now. Same goes for an old glove factory.

[quanglewangle]

Buddleia seeds are very small (<1mm) and very light and winged. A plant might release upto a million seeds. They are carried away on the air and germinate in crevices.

[ameno]

Buddleia seeds are very small (<1mm) and very light and winged. A plant might release upto a million seeds. They are carried away on the air and germinate in crevices.

I know what they look like; I see many fall out of my seed heads onto the soil in my garden. None ever germinate. Its very baffling.

[Babru]

You're maybe sitting on a wee gold mine there ameno - a sterile buddleia!

I always deadhead mine, they are a pest when they pop up everywhere.

[Peteyd]

My mother and father used to have one in their back garden. no-one ever knew where it came from as they didnt plant it and the garden was empty when they moved in (it was a new build).

I've never know a plant to survive such rough treatment. they used to cut it right down to the ground each year and every time it would come back and by the end of the year it was about 4ft tall. it did produce the most beautiful and vibrant purple flowers mind

[Nicos]

Apparently most garden centre ones are sterile or hybrids.

I’m just off out now but someone might find some links in English, but I came across this in French ( cos I wanted to show that some indeed don’t set seed!)

https://www.promessedefleurs.com/con...ur-du-buddleia

“

• La majeure partie des variétés de Buddleias davidii vendus dans le commerce sont stériles, contrairement à ce que semble penser l’opinion publique. Inutile donc d’invectiver le malheureux qui range les palettes dans votre jardinerie du coin parce qu’ils vendent des Buddléias. Seul l’espèce type est invasive et elle n'est plus en vente.
• Les autres espèces et hybrides de Buddléia ne posent aucuns problèmes : B. globosa, B. alternifolia, B. nivea…”

google translated…..

”
Most commercially available varieties of Buddleias davidii are sterile, contrary to popular belief. So there is no point in cursing the unfortunate man who puts away the pallets in your local garden center because they sell Buddleias. Only the type species is invasive and it is no longer for sale. The other species and hybrids of Buddléia do not pose any problems: B. globosa, B. alternifolia, B. nivea…”


But yes, it’s considered invasive here too.

[quanglewangle]

Nicos Très intéressant, as they say (I think)

[Nicos]

I was just thinking of you…we drove past an old factory site which was demolished and it’s just a mass of buddhleia . I should have stopped and taken a photo Stupidly invasive… the factory was only demolished 3 summers ago and these shrubs were easily 9 ft high by 9 ft wide…


As an aside….. this is the first year we’ve found ragwort in our garden, and we spotted loads of it in the hedgerows for the first time. not good.

[Mr Bones]

I wish our neighbours buddleia was sterile . We get them on the allotment too.

[Plot70]

They only self seed on bare clay or limestone or old cement.
The seeds are too small to compete with other large seeded weeds that can get tall rapidly.
Once established they are bomb proof.
We have got a road that was built about 10 years ago with clay/limestone embankments that is now covered.

[quanglewangle]

They only self seed on bare clay or limestone or old cement.
The seeds are too small to compete with other large seeded weeds that can get tall rapidly.

Useful and informative - thanks