Topic: Butterflies-propagating Sedum/ Buddleia and a nettle question

[Lance-allott]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know the best way of propagating Sedum and when to do it? I really want to attract insects esp. butterflies to my plot and have some Sedum in my garden so would like to use this plant as a parent plant for the allotment.

Second question: I would like to grow some Nettles (in a container), again, to attract butterflies. I thankfully don't have any problem nettles on my plot but would like some in a pot. I'd like to just dig some up on wasteland and shove them in a tub but am I risking introducing them to the rest of the lottie? I don't want to annoy my neighbours if this is a likely thing to happen.

Last one: There are loads of wild buddleias round here. Can I take a cutting to start a new plant, and if so how do I go about it the right way?

LA

[froglets]

Hiya,

It depends on the sedum as they flower at different times of the year and that drives propogation.

With autumn flowering ones such as the big showy ones like 'Sedum Spectabile Brilliant' ( ice plant) you need to wait until the flowers have died down and then split clumps while they are dormant in Feb March time.  You can also take softwood cutttings in April May time when they start to shoot again.

Not sure about the lower growing or alpine type ones which are also great for insects.  They tend to bloom in the spring, but the thrushes always rip mine to pieces looking for bugs to eat, so I just bury the stalks of the bits back in the soil and lots of them take.

Perhaps someone can add some more info.

Cheers

[froglets]

Re Buddlea, be careful with "wild" ones.  They can be a bit rampant and take over throwing up suckers sometimes.

If you want to take cuttings, again I'd wait until the spring and take some softwood cuttings of non flowering shoots, strip off the lower leaves, pot them up in a free draining compost and then let them get on with it.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Try planting sedum cuttings in spring. Most of them root really easily.

[ACE]

I somehow think that a bucket of nettles will not be enough. Butterflys lay quite a few eggs and the caterpillars need a lot of nettles to munch through. Also you will also need a place for the crysalis to form.  Buddleia only attract butterflies for feeding I have yet to see a caterpillar feeding on one.

Unless you really know what you are doing I would leave nature alone.

[Georgie]

Hello Lance-allot.  I agree that it's a good idea to try and attract beneficial insects (and indeed other wildlife) into our gardens and plots.  I've read a fair deal about this and I was also very interested in the programme 'Nature' on Radio 4 earlier this week which followed an experiment in Sheffield called BUGS.  They concluded that introducing nettles had no obvious benefits but that many other ideas do work.  You can hear the programme via the 'listen again' feature on the Radio 4 website.

Ace, I really don't understand your comment:  'unless you really know what you are doing I would leave nature alone.'   Lance-allot's post was polite and thoughtful.  We all have to start somewhere don't we?

G x

[Palustris]

All but Rhodiola trype sedums may be propagated by pushing in bits at almost any time of the year except perhaps deepest winter. Sedum spectabile is almost impossible not to propagate. As you remove the dead flower stems rooted pieces come away in your hand, plant them up. Sedum rupestre (the one they seem to be selling all over the place now) will seed itself all over, move the ones you want and discard the rest.

[Robert_Brenchley]

We all mess about with nature. If we didn't, our gardens would mostly be heading for deciduous forest.

[ACE]

What is there to understand!

Butterflies after they morph have a very limited life a few days for most of them. Lets all attract them to our gardens and plots and feed them, instead of letting them get on with their life cycle, don't worry about providing the right type of plants in the right quantities for them to lay their eggs and sustain the caterpillars. Lets put some bird feeders too, and they can have a nice meal of butterflies, because they will also take advantage of a concentrated food supply.

The micro habitat most of us set up in our gardens  is alright for plants even though in the past we get it wrong and encourage the wrong sorts, (himalayan balm etc). We can tend and propogate these plants, even change their lifestyles. is not enough to sustain life for loads of bugs and
animals.

They need the wild open spaces where they have evolved to take advantage of  food, hiding places, and climate. Unless you are really untidy gardener and have a few acres it is best to let nature look after itself.

One example is the comma butterfly, its camoflage is looking like a dry leaf. Are you going to stop picking and raking for their sakes. We kill ants because they are not so pretty, this caused to demise of one of the blue butterflies that needed ants to survive. Birds are very clever and have started associating the imitation bug hotels as a feeding station, I have seen them ripped to bits by birds and vermin.

Right. Rant over and I should apologise if I have upset some one, but I am going to make my stand on this one.

[Robert_Brenchley]

The Large Blue has been reintroduced, and is now thriving in quite a number of places in Southern England. But you're right, the way to encourage wildlife is largely to interfere less and tidy up a lot less.

[Georgie]

I only have a small garden and no allotment but I want to work with nature, not against it.  I agree with the Garden Organic ethos so I don't use chemicals or artificial fertilizers, I don't kill wildlife (accept for the odd few slugs and snails if I lose patience) and I grow things to attract wildlife.  I've got shrubs to provide cover, ivy and trees for the birds, water for the frogs and toads, a log pile for insects, I leave perennials intact over-winter to provide natural cover for insects, I leave certain areas of dead leaves and I make my own compost.  Since I took this stance a few years ago I've noticed a vast increase in the number of birds, frogs and insects in my garden and the plants all seem productive and healthy.  I'm not saying that my micro habitat will ever replace nature, but I hope that the wildlife that does visit my garden gets what it requires without fear of being poisoned or killed - apart from by natural predators which is fine by me.

G x

[jennym]

Don't often listen to the radio now, but did catch this weeks Nature programme on Radio 4:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature.shtml
If you click on the "Listen to the latest programme" link, there's an interesting piece about how gardens and urban spaces do contribute significantly to wildlife.

[Lance-allott]

Thanks to all of you.