Perennials: Pruning a butterfly bush

Butterfly bush will bloom on new growth each year. It is up to you on how big you want your plant to get. If you want a smaller plant I would cut it down to the ground in the fall or spring. A heavy layer of mulch is recommended if winter temperatures drop below 0'f. I usually top my plant off several times through the late spring into early summer. This will help the plant to develop more branches and it will be more compact. It will still bloom fine. Butterfly bush id late to break dormancy in the spring, so be patient!!! Butterfly bush "Honeycomb" in pix.

I love that honeycomb! They have a nice fragrance, too.
(On my wish list!)
I treat my butterfly bushes like roses, mulching with manure or compost in the fall. I've had much better results with spring pruning in my area. With Fall pruning I seem to get more winterkill.
It's nice to see what everyone else does, I have gotten some great information here.

I recommend pruning in the spring also. We can get some severe cold here in Atlanta during the winter some times. If you wait until spring, you see if there has been any winterkill. Then, you can clean that out and shape to a more managable size if it is bigger than your liking. I would like to add--I did not prune my two bushes for several years after they were planted and they got HUGE. One reached about 15 feet. Then we had a very hard winter (ice and wind). The bigger one of the two split right down the middle and I completely lost one half. The other half is fine (after I placed supports around it). The wood is very brittle, so guys and gals, be carefull not to let them get too high.

I've grown them for 15 years and always cut them back to about 8 inches tall in winter.
I mulch them with leaves after a hard freze in the fall. The only time I lost any was after an extreemely cold and dry winter, about 3 years ago. But there were many seedlings that came up the next spring to replace the 7 I lost.
Andy P

If I leave the last batch of blooms on, will they seed themselves? We get very mild winters.

Daylily, They self seed for me but only if the seed falls on a cultivated area or a crack in the driveway. LOL
I have 2 plants near my strawberries and seedlings pop up there all the time if I don't prune them back until winter.
Here is a pic of one in the driveway in bloom. Taken last month.
Andy P

What a great picture, called my husband in for a look, and he said - now that is one determined plant! And how high is that, pretty small to be blooming already, isn't it? I got quite a few to use as a hedge, and find the yellow ones are already 3 times the size of the whites, blues, or purples, is this common to them?
Cheryl

Daylily, It was about 14 inches tall. I didn't notice it until it bloomed. Don't think it will be there next Spring, shoveling the snow will take it away for sure. I only have the regular purple ones. They range from 5 to 12 feet tall. They take 3 years to get to full size. I have a 2 year old one in the nursery that reached 8 feet this year. My seedlings always bloom the first year, even in the driveway. LOL
A friend promissed me some seed of his yellow one next year.
Anddy P

I usually trim mine back in spring. I wait until I start seeing some new growth and then cut based on that. This also helps me see what is dead and then I can clean that out as well. So far this has worked for me.

I just bought one this fall and planted it about three weeks ago. It's the 'Bicolor.' It's only about 4" tall at the moment, but I'm hoping it will get big next year. My mom has a purple one, and she said if this one's anything like hers, it will be as big as I want it. She only cuts the dead away, but she said it dies back to the ground pretty much every winter and gets pretty big the next summer.

Our radio gardening guy, here in NY, Ralph Snodsmith, says to cut back in late March (will be different timing for different zones) and if you cut them back to a foot you'll have at least a four foot plant. We follow his rules and only lost a few one very severe winter.

Right, pirl. Our early spring usually is Feb. here in Atlanta. My bushes never lose all of their leaves, except the dead limbs. That way I can see what needs to be cleaned out plus shape the rest.

Thanks Pirl for bringing this thread back up on my watch. You reminded me to cut mine back.
I usually prune mine back in Winter, rather severely I might add.
This pic (taken 10 minutes ago) of stumps, shows my "Big Mama" after pruning.
It's about 15 years old and grows to 8 feet +/- every season.
Andy P

Andy - you get 8' from THAT every season?
How old is the bush?

Yes, one year it reached 12 feet. It's about 15 years old and the largest one I have. I have a 2 year old one out back that reached 9+ feet this season, most are about 6 ft.
All started from seed, some deliberate and some were volunteers.
To get volunteers you must not prune them until they drop their seed, usually in December around here. You can try to harvest the seed but they are super tiny. Here is a pic.
I have such fun with my DC, lol.
Andy P

this may be a stupid question, but what's a DC?

I'm sorry, A Digital Camera.
Andy P

Of course - I always thought I took lousy pictures until I got one! Now I think I just had lousy cameras.

I have a Buddleia (seedling gift) only a couple of years old that bloomed this past season fairly late.......... and it was late as P.G. Hydrangea breaking dormancy (we had a cold Spring with some late June frost!) I recall seeing tall mature Buddleias many years ago at the west end of a building where the sun was very hot in the afternoon............. Also, many noted gardeners here believe our trees don't mature enough in our short season for flourishing results. There are siting matters to consider......... how well the shrub does in YOUR garden........ and possibly the type/cultivar that we have. The RD A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants has a section on pruning (p. 26) (Pruning Group 6 for Buddleia davidii): "Deciduous shrubs that bloom in mid or late summer to autumn on current year's growth. Action: Cut back to low permanent framework. For subshrubs, and for drastic restoration, cut back all flowered stems to the base. When: Annually, as buds begin to swell in early spring." On p. 194, (Buddleia) Cultivation: Outdoors, grow in fertile well-drained soil in full sun. Pruning Group 6 for the most; Group 2 for B. alternifolia, B. colvilei, and B. globosa (although the last 2 need minimal pruning). Pruning Group 13 for well-trained plants: after flowering.for those that bloom in spring or early summer; in spring for late-summer and autumn flowering species." Pruning Group 13: Wall-trained, deciduous and evergreen shrubs that flower on previous or current year's growth. Action: Cut back flowered shoots to within 2-4 buds of permanent framework. Trim outward-facing shoots and those growing toward the wall. When: Annually, a) after flowering, if flowering on previous year's growth, or b) in late winter or early spring if flowering on current year's growth." Group 2(incl. B. alternifolia): "Deciduous shrubs(and a few trees) that flower in spring or early summer on previous year's growth. Action: Cut back flowered shoots to strong buds or young lower or basal growth. On established plants, cut back about one-third to one-fifth of old shoots to the base, to promote replacement growth."
Mine flowered on this year's growth - but it was late. I want to give mine more sun (silverleaf dogwood decided to grow a lot next to it), so I have a priority move on my hands.... as well as a pruning job. Hope this helps.
Bill in SE Newfoundland, Canada zone 5a

I just started a thread in 'Seed Saver' if anyone is interested in saving their seed for next Spring.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/566301/
Andy P

Andy, thankyou for this - I was looking at mine yesterday, thinking hmm, what do I DO with this, what's the seed?

I saw a couple of WONDERFUL butterfly bushes at a gas station in New Jersey, of all places! They were 6 feet high and perhaps 5 feet wide and THICK as all get out, not gangly and thin the way many butterfly bushes can be. Are anyone else's butterfly bushes that way? How do you get a butterfly bush to look that way? They were gorgeous!

I think you have to prune them - I find just deadheading mine with regularity for the year and a bit that I've had them, has thickened them out a lot, as I take off the flower stem right back to the next set of leaves.
That seems to nudge it into breaking more stems all down the branch.
I think this may sacrifice a bit of the height at first, but I wanted them thicker, as I want them as a flowering hedge.
Here, they are evergreen, keep their leaves all winter.

Does anyone know when the best time to prune one in south GA? I have read part of this, but am not certain for my zone.
Thanks ... Elaine

101, Mid-Winter. But any time before they start their spring growth should be fine.
I always cut mine way down as described above. This forces a more uniform shape.
Don't worry, you wont kill it. LOL
Andy P

Thanks so much for responding. :)
... Elaine

I'm with Andy, I cut mine back after the first frost in Fall here. I cut them back hard to about 1 foot but some are a taller because I don't have the strength to cut the branches at the base (4" thick). This will be my 3rd year with 5 of them and they all came back huge in height and length. They grow back up to 6 feet tall, bushy and wide. I don't deadhead them until later in the season when they are starting to peter out. I also Miracle Grow them once a week (just me being overly protective of them, not that I am suggesting anyone else try it) and I water them just about every day along with my other perennials. It sounds like the higher zones do better with the Spring pruning from the posts in here.

Megan

Megan, I'm in awe of MG once a week, I wonder what mine would do if I did that - it'd be like giving them steroids, I think!

Yes, I do it to all of my plants and I learned late last season that my Russian Sage did very poorly because of the MG and watering. I didn't realize it was the type of plant who likes to be left alone so they looked small and stupid this past year. I'm not sure, but I think it also messed up one of my tomoto plants, because it never really developed fruit, but the plant itself sure was thick and sturdy, lol!! Live and learn... :)

Megan

Megan, I had my Russian sage in a spot where it got lots of moisture, and I also gave it the granular fertiliser in the spring, and it too was "small and stupid."

Then I visited a friend, and hers was over 6' tall, and bushy! When I asked how she got it to those proportions, she replied "Benign neglect. Plant yours where nothing else can survive, and it will surprise you, I promise."

So I moved it over to a spot that has killed a few weaker sort of plants, and have high hopes for this summer.

I like some of our many Buddleias to be in "tree form", so I prune according to what I want the shrub to look like. They bloom only on new wood, so think it out: you can cut them down to what's called a "low permanent framework", very low to the ground, and you'll get a bushy plant with a lot of blooms. I do that with some. But in other locations, I like to see them with tall arching trunklike branches, blooms high up top, but a bit of dappled shade underneath. So I keep the height, prune out all side shoots up to about 3 to 4 feet, keeping just 3 or 4 main "trunks".

Ever since I first read this thread I have been wondering why some people prune in Fall and some prune in Spring. After a lot of googling, I found this link which explains that different types of buddliea grow on the old growth and some on the new depending on which type you own. Mine I always prune in Fall, but I knew to do it because the tags on them said to do it. This link also mentions that they are considered invasive because of the volunteers. They are definitely hardy because I moved some of mine from my old house to the new one and I thought I damaged their roots, but apparently the roots are very sturdy because mine grew just fine. Here is the link:

http://butterflygardeners.com/buddleia.htm

We moved into our house just last year. There is a bush here that the seller called a "butterfly bush" but I am not sure that is the correct name. It leaves dry stalks when winter comes and can be pruned back to nearly nothing in the spring. As soon as it starts getting warm out it grows very quickly and can get approx. 6-7 ft tall. It has these clumps of little orange and pink flowers that grow at the tops of the branches. Can anyone help identify this? It does attract a lot of butterlies.

Can someone tell me when is the best time to transplant my butterfly bush from a big pot to the ground? I received one as a gift (housewarming) present and it's grown so much that I think it needs to be moved.
Thanks

Mimi, this evening would be good.
If it's in a pot, you can plant it any time. The sooner the better, the roots will get established before winter. Water it before and after you plant it. Keep an eye out for wilting for a couple of weeks until the roots reach out into new territory and moisture.
Give it a sunny spot and lots of room.
Andy P

I cut my plant ( BUDDLEIA weyeriana Honeycomb ) down by 1/2 in the Fall and severely prune in the Spring. Each year it grows back bigger. It is 4 years old and over 8 feet.
Does anyone have experience with growing buddleia as a standard? I have read about this technique but hesistant to try it before hearing about other people's experiences. It would be nice to make more room in the garden bed by doing this.

I had a 'yearling' grow a single stem last year. Eight or nine feet tall. It would whip around in the wind, never break. It looked ungainly. I gave it away this Spring.
That sounds like a fun experiment but I doubt that it would be good for the plant. Try it on a 'spare' one.
Andy P

Thanks so much for the info on transplanting my Butterflybush. It will be my next evening project.

katym: your butterfly bush that you described sounds like my Bi-Color

I'm in North Central Fl. When is the best time to prune? Thanks for any info.