Knowledgebase

sick butterfly bush #649575

Asked June 11, 2020, 4:16 PM EDT

What is going on with this butterfly bush? It didn't flower real profusely last year, and it always had in years past. This year the tips of the growing shoots are yellowed and sort of shriveled. So far I don't see one flower bud. Also some leaves are curling under. This is just happening on half of the bush, as I hope shows in the picture shot from above. Thank you.

Carroll County Maryland

Expert Response

We are not certain of the cause of these symptoms. Butterfly bush is not often troubled by pests or disease, but it could be suffering from phytotoxicity. This is chemically-induced damage, usually from improperly applied pesticides or, in this case, possible herbicide exposure. Was any weed-control product used in the lawn? The fact that the side of the plant closest to the lawn is the most affected is suspect, though it could be coincidence.

Poor flowering last year is odd, as these plants flower on new growth and tend to produce buds all summer long. (Though not starting to bud until June or early July is normal, especially if they are not in full sun.) If it was lacking in new growth of any kind, this may point to a root issue. Has the soil been staying on the wet side? Butterfly bush dislike constant soil wetness and/or poor drainage and this can make them vulnerable to several root-infecting fungi. If this has occurred, there is no treatment and removal would be necessary if the entire plant becomes affected. Wholesale nursery growers often put more than one plant cutting into a pot when growing crops as this creates a fuller plant in less time. This may mean that your butterfly bush is actually more than one individual plant, and so an ailment may have afflicted one and not the other thus far.

Give it time and see how the symptoms progress; if they worsen, pruning out the affected stems may be the only course of action until the plant either recovers on its own or succumbs to this ailment. If it was herbicide exposure, it will outgrow the distortion if too much tissue damage didn't occur.

Miri

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