Topic: Buddleia on an allotment?

[silly billy]

I like to try and attract bees and bufferflies to my plot and am thinking of planting a Buddleia on my plot. I know cabbage whites are bad news but are all butterflies? Will they all attack my plants? Would you be happy if a neighbour planted one? I don't want to upset my neighbours.

[ceres]

It's not the butterflies that will upset your neighbours, it's the buddleia.  If you were thinking of the common one, davidii, it's a thug.  It can grow to 5m x 5m, spreads itself all over the place.  In my part of the world, any bit of waste ground, railway embankments, derelict buildings, they've all got buddleia.

There are easier (and more useful) things for attracting beneficial insects - lavender, rosemary, chives, most flowering herbs.  You can buy 'butterfly mixes' of annual seeds. 

[PurpleHeather]

My plum tree attracts and keeps a lot of butterflies.

Windfalls, seem to quickly ferment and the butterflies adore getting drunk on them.

My view is that allotments are for edibles and companions which do not take up unnecessary space. Herbs attract insects when they flower and a lot of flowering bedding plants make good companions.

If you have space for a tree, a fruit tree will better value all round.


 

[Sinbad7]

I've got a Buddleia and a Lavatera on my plots and wouldn't be without them, they do attract bees/ butterflies and the flowers on the Lavatera last for ages.

My Buddleia is nowhere near 5m x 5m and I've had it a good few years now.

To me an allotment is for growing what pleases the plot holder, and as I haven't got a garden, flowers, shrubs, trees and a pond please me apart from growing veg. 

In our borough they now like to refer to our allotments as gardens as they want to give allotments a new image and encourage people to treat them as gardens, much better I think than letting the land become untenanted and then be taken for building because of lack of use, to build yet more  flats on.

I'd plant a Buddleia and if it upsets the neighbours you can always prune it back.

Sinbad

[betula]

I love buddleia,I know it can be a bit of a thug but it is so pretty.Use it maybe to form a bit of a windbreak on an exposed part of the plot.

[saddad]

I agree with Sinbad... you can always hack it back...  ;D

[Columbus]

Hi Billy, Hi all  :)

Grow the things you like, as long as they don`t block the light to other peoples plots.

I have a dog-rose  in amongst  the blackberries at one end of my plot, before I had it other plot holders tried to kill it because it cast a large shadow. I just cut the top off and now its spread sideways and wraps around my composting area.
Its no longer in the way of anything and I enjoy seeing the flowers and hips. I think the wrens like it too. They are always in there finding spiders or something.

I also have a hawthorn just because I like hawthorn.

On the subject of making the plot into a garden I just built myself a patio out of bricks with old galvanised tanks etc as planters. I`m on the plot for eight hour days when I can so I think I should have somewhere to have a proper lunch break.

Col

[sawfish]

my chives, borage and buddleia all seem to attract lots of insects.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Sedums used to get covered in butterflies. They still attract a few, but there aren't so many around now.

[caroline7758]

The great thing about buddleia is that you can cut it right down and it will shoot up again the next year,

[sawfish]

I must admit I'd like to get rid of my buddleia but it just shoots out of the ground again when I try to get rid of it.

[Tin Shed]

I have a buddleia on my allotment which backs on to the boundary with a path on the other side. It provides a good screen from both children throwing bricks at my greenhouse and also stops people trying to climb over the fence into the site - as well as  benefitting wildlife. It is is doing such a good job that I have planted another!

[valmarg]

If you really want a buddleia on you lottie, go for alternifolia.  It has flowers all down the stems, wonderful perfume and attracts all the beneficial insects, and is not at all invasive, as opposed to the davidii.

OH hasn't quite studied the 'posting pictures' bit, but when he has ??? could show a fantastic specimen.

valmarg

[sawfish]

Buddleia alternifolia for Valmarg



One Buddleia would be great but I have dozens  :(

[valmarg]

Aw thanks sawfish :-*

I think where this variety scores over the davidii is, that it doesn't seed down at all, and it has the most wonderful scent.

valmarg

[caroline7758]

Looks lovely- might have to get one of those. :D I've got a buddleia Globosa ehich is just coming into flower for the first time. Can't believe how much it's grown in its first year! :o

[valmarg]

I'll have a go at taking a cutting for you if you like caroline.

valmarg

[silly billy]

Thankyou all. I didnt realise herbs attracted so much insect life and as we have just made a raised bed to use just for herbs it will fit in nicely with my plans. Still think I will get a buddleia aswell.