Perennials: Pruning a butterfly bush

I have read several different ideas on how to prune buddelias. Some say trim back in the spring, some say cut back to the ground, some say don't do anything. Can anyone help me?

I've read (and followed) the spring-pruning rules - if I prune at all. In a mild winter, you may not have any dieback, so pruning is needed only if you want to trim it a bit.

The first time I grew Buddleia, I decided to prune the second-year plants after they went dormant. And they stayed dormant permanently :(

So I can vouch for spring pruning, but I can't recommend fall pruning. I've also had them completely killed back in very cold winters when we lived in 7a. Now we're 6b, so I mulch and hope :)

i cut 1/2 of mine back and left the other 1/2 big and the big ones got HUGE! on another site it was posted that the only time to trim plants is when they are overcrowding other plants.(?)
i like to leave my garden in the winter as it was in the fall-makes for a prettier scene-bushes with snow some tall some short.
luck

I don't prune mine till spring.last year was so mild I had very little die back.So the bushes were huge!!!!!

I let them be for winter interest. Then in the spring, they are cut to about 6 or 8 inches. Otherwise the plants would be so gangly and all over the place. B. davidii 'White Profusion' is still blooming its head off, but I have finally stopped deadheading. A good plant for cuttings.

I do the same golddog and my shrub is huge after only one year since planting. I want to move it elsewhere, should I wait for the spring do you think, after cutting back??

maggie-i got my first ones froma lady and she made me wait till after first hard fall frost-then she dug them for me-so i would say fall!

Dori thanks but that means I would have to cut it hard back now. Oh well, I'm sure it would be OK. She's a vigorous little lady!! :-)

louisa, your zone 7a should allow the transplant to go off OK. The roots will still have several weeks to grow before freeze.

But then again, are you in a hurry?

This message was edited Saturday, Oct 26th 5:52 PM

lol - no not in a hurry but thanks!! Just need the space it occupies for something else! :-) You know us gardeners, never satisfied and omething's always on the move!

Hi everyone, just came on this forum. I cut mine down both in the fall and spring and they both died. Last year I didnt do anything and it greened out and got huge. mosses

Betty... I wait until Spring in our area... that way I can see what wood has died over the winter and cut back below it. Last year I pruned one back to about 12" and the other back only to about 3'. The larger one grew to over 7' and the shorter one only to 5'. However, the taller one now will have to be cut back pretty severely next Spring, I think... It didn't end up with a very nice shape compared to the one I cut way back.

Zone 4 speaking up here! I have 2 year old bushes, started from seed. This is their second winter, and I don't do a thing, they pretty much winter kill, and come back from the ground, have 4, and all are about 5 feet tall. Just trim off the dead stuff after I'm sure it's dead stuff!! Legit

After three years, zone 7, my Buddleia, which started out a one foot runt, has soared to over 8 feet. Long sturdy limbs, tree like trunk and plenty of blooms all summer into fall. The lower limbs had become a hazard, too close to the ground, stretching into the mower's path. I've just done some pruning today on those limbs and am hoping for the best, since it's never been pruned at all before now. We have had lots of frost and my baby's leaves are mostly still green.

I have a question....

I have a butterlfy bush that I planted last year. My husband is big on pruning and when I wasn't looking he pruned it. Now it is growing pretty much straight up and not too much out. Should I wait until next spring and trim the tall ones and hope it branches out?

Peace,
Chris

Hello Chris and welcome. Are those men handy with pruners or what?? lol!! Yes, cut all the branches down to about 12 inches in the spring.

We live in zone 8. For many yrs. I have pruned all three of mine down to about 10" in the fall and they have always grown back, up and out to over 8' with many flowers.

When is it too late in Spring to cut back?

I am still trying to decide if I should or not. I planted it last summer and we had a fairly mild winter here.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi everyone! I am new to this! I have a beautiful butterfly bush that is three years old. Should I prune now or in fall? It's about 7 feet tall and spring is just around the corner. I am in zone 6 so it could snow next week for all I know!!! Thanks!

Prune 'em now, before much spring growth!

I also say prune soon. I plan on getting my two done within the next couple of weeks. I read somewhere that it should be done by May 15th but, I have no idea where that was.
I have 2 . One is about 5 yrs the other about 3 yrs. I have always pruned in early spring to about 1-2 ft. They always end up to be about 6 foot till summer is over.

For dcurnutte..... Daniel thank you for your email but I was unable to open it because the red flag went up as it was infected with a virus. Hence my post here and not directly to you. However, I did look at the priorities and read your message and I'm delighted that at last there is another member in Charlottesville.

Regarding the buddliea. My husband cut down a huge one and moved it two week's ago and already it is putting on new growth. However, after this morning's dip into the 20s I suppose that growth may be lost but they are such willing shrubs and come back time and time again...so yes, it will be fine to cut it back now in our zone 7. I think the warm weather is on the way!! 20 degrees this morning and nearly 70 this afternoon!!! Welcome to DG and you will usually find me on the rose forum!! :-)

Hi everybody,

I have a butterfly bush that I just pruned to about 1-1/2 ft.
Last year I did not prune it at all and got very few flowers. Is there anything I can do to get good flower output.

This is my first day (a real newbie) so if this is not the correct thread, please suggest a more appropriate one.

I've been reading some of the other threads (I think that's the right terminology) and am really enjoying my experience. y

This message was edited Mar 20, 2004 10:28 PM

Hi,
I'm brand new here....and pretty new at gardening in general...I am in Zone 5...Can anyone tell me if i should cut back my butterfly bush yet? or should I wait a month?...we are still getting light snow occasionally and its still quite chilly at times.....U gotta love new england.....I never know what the weather is going to be in March.....

Thanx,
Carol

I am in zone 9, is it to late to trim the buddelia bushl. It still had green leaves thru the winter.

I would think yes - it's too late to prune right now. BUT, if you have new shoots coming from the base, I think you can go ahead and do it. I have 4 bushes and all but one of them had new shoots coming from the base and very little greenery on the actual bush. I pruned mine in Fall, but this time they didn't look so hot, so since the new shoots were coming up, I pretty much chopped them down and they took off like gangbusters. I'm in 7a.

I copied the National Arboretum, since I live in DC. They cut theirs in the spring. And like me, their have to keep theirs from growing too large. Cut them down by about 2/3, to regrow to about the same original height.

Hi I'm new here and I love it lots of information Haven't sent in my subscription yet But hope to soon Just read messages on buddlia glad I didn't throw her out cut way back new growth now,frost last night here in Ontario so covered it
New roses in the shed .will wait a bit to plant?Elaine. laine@zoom.net New rose bed any info ??Thanks for listening

Elaine, try the Rose Forum for rose info.

Welcome to DG!!

I just recently purchased one of these and I worry about pruning as I followed pruning evrything in the fall and lost quite a bit! Is there a rule of thumb for pruning? Thanks! Denise

Denise - The Butterfly bushes are pretty tough. But if you prune in fall, they'll still need it again in the Spring. Although you are in a colder zone than I in Piedmont NC Zone 7a, from all I have read, you should still prune in March (I do it March 1 but you should do it a bit later) and then you'll get good growth for the summer bloom. The recover from being nipped very well. Frankly, I think you could cut them back now and it would only slow them down a bit. As you know, they don't get going till well into the summer anyway. When you can't reach the blooms to deadhead, and you can always whack two feet off and they'll put right back out and bloom. I've had them come up as volunteers and bloom on a 1 foot shoot!
Jody Ragan

Thanks ragan, This is a new addition so I'm saving this page to refer to. I'm creating a journal as to what and when I've planted to try to keep these blooms we work so hard at, lol! Truly we do though, my back is getting worse so w/perrenials I keep buying I'm hoping at some point won't have to worry much and will keep the work at some kind of minimum! Denise

I cut my butterfly bush back this spring and it has yet to green up...does anyone know when I should expect this to happen? It's the 3rd year I've had the bush, but the first year in this spot. Thanks!

I never had great luck moving butterfly bushes. I think I've had one that lived after transplanting. Mine are up anywhere from 2 inches to 10 inches right now.

Greenlessthumb -- often our butterfly bushes in Zone 5 take quite some time to recover from a pruning and green up. Suggest you just wait patiently and eventually there should be good life.

I'm brand new here, so I hope I'm doing this post right. It's already hot in my area of California, but I really want to transplant two huge (over 8 ft tall) butterfly bushes. Is there any chance of success doing it now? If so, should I cut them back first?

This message was edited Jun 1, 2004 11:15 PM

I am a new member also, and according to the chart I am in Zone 7 I trimed my Butterfly Bushes in the spring two yrs ago, one died, and the other one is only now showing signs of life, I was told you should not trim for the first four years, and then trim in the spring .

? After they've flowered and turn brown are we suppose to cut them? I should have asked first cause I did cut the brown off. Denise

I am new to this also, I am in zone 6 when I cut my bushes back in the fall they died, I got new ones, and trimed them in the spring, they are slow growing but they are doing good with lots of flowers

I prune mine in the spring if they need it. Then I cut them back when the blooms stop- about 3 times each summer. You'll have lapses in flowering but the plants won't be leggy and the blooms burst out like they did in spring. I feed them with foliage spray about once a month in the growing season. Our butterflies really come here in about August so I'm careful to time pruning around them.