Zone 5 is at the cold end of it's hardiness range, but I know many folks who grow it successfully with no winter protection at all. Just let it stand through the winter, and cut it back to the ground in early spring. Everything above ground will be dead, and it'll fill out nicely, with more canes than the previous year.

You might want to wait until mid spring--second week of April--to cut back your Buddleia. Otherwise, just leave it alone for the winter.

Yea...in the colder zones with longer winters it is advised to wait until you begin seeing the new growth before cutting the old branches.

Hi Lary,
I do the same as webkat. I wait till I see the new growth and then cut it down.

My bushes were all terribly late this season. Some had no growth until July!! I also pulled a couple, then found the leaf buds so I replanted them. The worst starters were in the most exposed areas, as you mentioned. Small new bushes, planted the late summer before. They are finally blooming now though, small flower heads, but there are a lot of them.

I am with you, willing to try some protection this winter for these ones. I am planning on the rose cones, though I will take off the cone tops to prevent overheating. Those cones can be pretty hot in the sun, even in cold air. I just want wind protection, so they start better next year. My bigger bushes are also exposed, but do seem to start growing sooner, for earlier blooms. Could be the better root system, feeds them better.

I prune my bushes in spring. They have green leaves until that last blast of winter, so must be getting fed.

I don't do anything with mine for the winter and it gets pretty cold and windy. I cut the previous year's branches to the ground in early to mid April. I have been doing this since April of 2003, when we moved into our house, and they have come back bigger and stronger each year - so far!

Hope this helps!

Jodi

How could a rose cone fit over a butterfly bush!!??

These are very small bushes, 2ft tall, only a couple stems. The $1 specials at the nursery. Mine are in the 2nd year in the garden, haven't taken off yet. With rose cone top off, you just thread the couple branches on out the top, anchor the cone down. This is simply fast, easy wind protection. Winter wind here, just never quits out front. Often we have no snow cover for protection of plants and roots.

No, I could not get even the largest rose cone on my big butterfly bushes! However they don't seem to need the additional protection. I just want those tiny bushes to start leafing out faster in early summer, for more growth.

You already have excellent advice. My buddleia are one to ten years old, most in windy, shady locations. I too cut them back in April. The older ones are up to ten feet tall and bloom into November as a rule. Enjoy. They are so hardy.

Hi there. I would recommend applying some winter protection for your butterfly bush, at least while it's young. The first winter after I planted my first, I applied mulched leves and some compost over the crown, once the ground froze. The following spring it came back (from the roots) bigger and better - and it was filled with blooms. The following winter I didn't apply winter protection and it died (yes, I'm sure - I waited until July - no sign of life). The local nursery staff told me that Butterfly bushes are marginal in our area (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and that they had recieved a lot of calls this summer re dead butterfly bushes. So, I'm applying winter protection to my two new bushes this winter. They are gorgeous and wonderfully fragrant and it's amazing how much they will grow from the root. Good luck!

I follow what has been said above, with one difference - I trim much of the twiggy top growth before the winter, to avoid the weight of the snow breaking the shrub.

Mulch over the crown is the easiest and best. I'd just dump half a bag of shredded cedar bark on it. If you get reliable snow cover, you don't have to bother with anything.
In spring, wait until it starts new growth before cutting it back. Mine have been in for years and get 7' high. Some varieties are shorter.

I did almost the same thing. I just couldn't figure out why it wasn't grwoing and figured I'd list the one i planted last year. It ended up being late...and it is still blooming now here in NH. I have a "miniature"version- I wonder if yours is one as well. that oculd be why it isn't getting very big.

I also wonder if cutting it back earlier would make it bloom earlier?

I always cut mine back in early April or maybe even late March. But it's not really to the ground. There's a clump of 10-12" of old wood that always remains. Mine get 6-8' tall in summer and bloom like crazy.

One spring, I was busy and waited too long to prune them back. I think it was late April. They started growing new leaves on the old branches, and I think they wasted a lot of their energy sending sap up those branches. So, when I did cut them back, I was cutting off all that energy that the roots had already sent up the plant. They had a hard time recovering from that and were a little late growing. But by July, they were the typical 6' tall again! These are tough shrubs! Still, I don't want to abuse them again, so I cut them back earlier now.