Butterfly bush beckons colorful creatures

The pleasures of late season flowers and butterflies are two reasons homeowners select butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) for their perennial or mixed-shrub borders.

Hardy to Zone 5, in the Chicago area, butterfly bush is considered a die-back shrub. While its 4- to 5-foot gently arching stems usually die to the ground, the plant's crown is winter hardy and produces vigorous new shoots when growth resumes in the spring.

Butterfly bush needs full sun and very well drained soil. Regularly removing spent blossoms keeps the plant looking tidy and encourages new flowers to continue blooming through early fall. All stems should be cut to the ground in late winter or early spring.

Good varieties to consider planting next spring include 'Black Knight,' Nanho Blue,' and 'White Profusion.' The fragrant flowers of these and other varieties make nice additions to fresh flower bouquets, and will give butterflies searching for nectar colorful new reasons to visit your garden.
For your yard this week

••It is time to fertilize your hybrid roses for the third and final time. Be sure to continue your application of a fungicide every 7 to 10 days to prevent black spot. To avoid damage to the foliage do not spray on excessively hot and humid days. Remove spent flowers regularly to increase flowering. Cut back to a point where there are five leaflets when cutting flowers to bring inside.

••Branches that quickly wilt and die in your trees and shrubs could be infected with a bacterial disease called fire blight. Crabapples and hawthorns are plants that are commonly afflicted with this disease. Promptly prune out the affected branches, sterilizing your pruners between each cut with Lysol or a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Make the cuts well below the affected area.

••Make sure the root balls of evergreen trees planted within the last year or two are thoroughly moistened when watering. Densely branched evergreen trees can shed water from rain or a sprinkler away from the root ball. Apply water to the base of these trees.

••The gladiolus produces a large, showy flower spike that lasts for several days whether in the garden or in a vase. To get the most out of a bloom for decoration inside, cut when the lowest blossoms have begun to show color.

••Mid-August to mid-September is a good time to seed bare spots in your lawn. Choose a seed mix that is appropriate for the amount of sun at your site. Grass grown from a mix blended for shade can look different than grass from a mix blended for sun. If your yard has adjoining areas of full sun, shade and partial shade, use a single mix of grass varieties for both sun and shade to give the lawn a uniform appearance. Prepare the site for seeding by removing weeds and loosening the soil. Low areas will need additional topsoil. Rake out large clods, stones or debris to create a smooth seedbed. Then gently rake in the seed. Keep the soil moist. On warm days this may require watering two or three times a day. A light layer of compost spread over the soil helps keep seeds moist. Bluegrass takes about two weeks to germinate. Continuing to water often is crucial to getting the grass established. Watering can be scaled back to less frequent but deeper soakings as the new grass fills in.

••It is important to identify the insects on your plants before treating with an insecticide. This allows determining whether the insect really is a problem. If it is, then try to assess whether the damage being done warrants control. The presence of insects feeding on the plants should not warrant automatic treatment. Some insects are beneficial and help control other insects naturally. If an identified pest is causing significant damage, it is important to use a correct control with proper timing. If a variety of treatments are available, use the least toxic control possible.