We purchased 3 butterfly bushes last spring and planted them all in the same bed on the SE corner of the house (the sunniest spot that we have). The one closest to the front door has grown very tall (over 4 ft!), but is not bushing out at all. I have 6 or 7 tall stalks and a few lower leaves, but that's it. The plant next to it is half to a quarter as tall with just a few taller shoots while the 3rd plant is barely 6" tall, still green and leafy though. I'm just wondering what would cause such a difference in them since they are all panted in the same soil and get the same amount of light. Also, would it be beneficial if I were to loosely tie the taller shoots together, as in a circle of twine not actually tied to the plant, just keeping it more upright, to "train" them to stand up? Right now they just flop down nearly to the ground because of their height/weight. Thank you so much!
We purchased 3 butterfly bushes last spring and planted them all in the same bed on the SE corner of the house (the sunniest spot that we have). The one closest to the front door has grown very tall (over 4 ft!), but is not bushing out at all. I have 6 or 7 tall stalks and a few lower leaves, but that's it. The plant next to it is half to a quarter as tall with just a few taller shoots while the 3rd plant is barely 6" tall, still green and leafy though. I'm just wondering what would cause such a difference in them since they are all panted in the same soil and get the same amount of light. Also, would it be beneficial if I were to loosely tie the taller shoots together, as in a circle of twine not actually tied to the plant, just keeping it more upright, to "train" them to stand up? Right now they just flop down nearly to the ground because of their height/weight. Thank you so much!