Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Do You Deadhead your Butterfly Bushes?

I do.  I didn't get to them as soon as they faded like I usually do, but a couple days ago, decided to take some before and after photos.  If you look it up, there are detailed instructions on how to do this.  I just go fairly close to where a new stem starts, taking the stems back as far as the faded growth, or a little farther if I want to shape them a bit.

I sometimes tie up this bush so that the branches don't droop, but haven't done that this year.


Here's a close up view of the faded blooms.


You can see that the stems were cut at different lengths, depending on how far back the blooms were faded.


The after photos don't look as different from the before ones than the bush does in "person".  It's not perfectly shaped, but looks much better.


I took the next photo this evening, since I didn't have a close up to compare to the faded blooms one.



I am almost caught up with visiting those who left comments on my critter post a week ago, and ready to visit this past Saturday's commenters' blogs.  When I hear about hurricanes and fires, I think of and pray for the bloggers in those areas.

Work is going well, but I come home tired.  We have some new students who need lots of attention, and I work with one of them from 11:30 to 2:40 most days.  It's fun getting into a routine, and seeing him do more and more things independently. 

I have been helping my grown daughter clean her place, which she has gotten very far behind in due to depression.  I told her I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but she said she doesn't yet.  Any prayers would be appreciated.

12 comments:

  1. I spent some time this weekend dead-heading my butterfly bush. In fact, since many of the blooms were completely finished, I actually pruned it back a bit to encourange branching out and reflowering.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Forgot to mention, I'll keep your daughter in my thoughts. Depression can be debilitating. I hope things get brighter for her.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sue, This is something I need to do, too! Isn't it amazing how much better it looks? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love butterfly bushes. They are so pretty. Sorry to read about your daughter's depression. Sending you some prayers and thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. yes I do - mighty big bush by the way . I have many butterflies right now..sk

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice Butterfly Bush, sometimes I prune, sometimes I don't..glad work is going well and may light penetrate your daughter's darkness...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've tried to grow butterfly bushes down here, but they don't like my heat and humidity, so I'm trying to grown other flowering shrubs instead. Yours is very pretty and will only get better with age.

    I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's depression, and hope this soon will pass for her.

    Hugs and prayers for both of you at this time.

    FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Sue,

    Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. It really touched my heart that people were actually praying for us.

    I truly hope that your daughter is on the path to recovery soon. It is difficult and since I have been there myself, I totally relate. So many times people who are not compassionate say horrible things to depressed people...not intending to be mean but it happens. " snap out of it" a common theme. It hurts a lot.
    I will keep her in my prayers.

    On another note, I am debating about spending the money for storage. Is it twenty dollars a year? Or twenty dollars for a certain amount of storage. Just wondering.

    Thanks,
    Rosey

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Sue,

    I have dead headed in the past but it made no difference as I didn't get a second flush, so now I only cut back the branches which get in the way of the steps up into the garden and the rest is floored in the spring.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Sue,
    Yes, I deadhead my buddelias. They always look so nice after the dead stuff is gone. Mine are easy to do because they are planted right next to the deck and I can reach the top easily.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love your blog! I have been reading it for a while now but don't think I ever posted a comment. I just wanted to say that my prayers are with you and your family.

    Greetings from across the big pond (yes, I'm in Europe),

    Ellie

    ReplyDelete
  12. Buddleia is so late blooming here that there's hardly any point in deadheading it. I did plant one this spring that started flowering early because it had been in a container, and deadheading it produced a nice second flush, happening now. I wish they weren't quite so delicate (they're marginal here in my part of Nova Scotia. I treat them as annuals, but I so love them!)
    I'm sorry your daughter is going through a tough time. There IS light at the end of the tunnel; I deal with depression all the time. As in, it's chronic with me but manageable with some help. I will hold her in my thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

I welcome comments and questions from anyone, including those who do it anonymously. Some people find my posts by doing searches, and I like hearing from them. I guess spammers won't even read this message, but I will delete spam as soon as I see it.