STANDARD FORMING BUTTERFLY BUSH
There is a particular kind of Butterfly Bush called Fountain or Weeping butterfly bush,( Buddleiaalternifolia) part of its name describes the plant’s alternately arranged leaves, and this form is unique among the buddleias. The leaves are long and narrow, and are grey-green in color. This member of the buddleia family may trained to form a standard, or single stem, so it looks like a small tree.
1) Start with a young plant, one that’s less than a foot tall. Plant it where you want the tree to grow to form the standard. Select a healthy sturdy leader stem, this shoot will eventually form the tree trunk. Most often the tallest shoot is selected for this role, the tallest in the center of the plant. Cut away all other stems coming from the ground as close to the roots as possible.
2) Beside the plant push into the ground a sturdy stake or cane next to the leader, see illustration .Ensure the leader grows straight and tall by tying it to the cane with stretch garden ties or even pieces of fabric will do, attach it to the stake at 12 inch intervals. Do not cut off any side shoots yet that may sprout from your leader stem, at this stage the young plant needs all its leaves to gain strength But when the plant has become established later in the season you may start to do this ,keep trimming away any stems that sprout from the ground.
3) By the next spring, the leader stem may be tall enough so that the growing tip can be pinched off to make it branch out and form the weeping head of the standard. You can allow your standard to reach any height, but usually 4 or 5 feet is chosen. This means the whole tree head and trunk will be 8 to 10 feet tall. Starting at ground level prune away all side branches up to halfway up the trunk, leaving some side branches so that their leaves may produce food until you start to form the head.
4)When forming the head, you will probably have to put in a taller and stronger stake to support the tree. Insert it in exactly the same spot as the old one to avoid root damage Continue to attach the trunk to the stake and adjusting the ties occasionally so they are not too tight making sure they are not cutting into the tree. When the trunk has thickened and the plant becomes self supporting, the support stake can be removed but if your tree is located in a windy spot leave the stake extra support. Once the head begins to fill out, the rest of the branches along the trunk may be pruned off right up to where the head forms, trim the growing tips of the branches that form the head to encourage a heavy, full display of flowers.
As the head grows and fills in, prune it just as you would the shrub-form of the fountain butterfly bush: Removing a few older branches each year, perform a little shaping after the “tree” flowers. Trim off all sprouts from the trunk and around the base of the tree. The Buddleia is a fast-growing plant, so you will find it necessary to do quite a lot of trimming to keep it looking in good order.
