I prune in the spring, just before it starts coming out of dormancy. I leave about 12" of the old wood. You'll probably agree, when you see it, that it'll look better with new growth. It'll flower all the same whether you prune it or not.

I had heard they need early spring pruning, but was afraid I'd remove buds and then would have no blooms. The flowering shrub in front of my house requires pruning immedatly after the blooms fade, which makes sense to me.
I wish all plants had the same requirements, then I wouldn't goof us so much. LOL.
Would late summer or fall pruning ruin the plant?
Thanks! ~JoAnn

That is quite a lovely big Buddliea for zone 5, isn't it? I rarely see them that big around us. I bet you do get loads of butterflies on it!

Does yours completely die back during winter and then make new shoots for flowering, or do you get bloom on old wood (as happens in the south, I think)?

And I wonder how old it is? Buddlias are generally kind of tender plants here and don't often last more than 3 or 4 years in our area, so I would be loathe to do anything too drastic to yours (if it ain't broke, don't fix it)for fear of killing it. Don't you think?

Maybe just some judicious editing out of new growth branches to help with shaping in springtime. And removing dead stems in spring, too. And then maybe some rose fertilizer to give it a boost?

And dead-heading spent blossoms always helps in summer.

You know, since you have such a strong buddliea with good genes, you may want to take some cuttings of that particular plant. It may be nice to start some new ones in case you need to replace the original some day.

with our heat & drought, my buddleias have suffered - two weeks ago, i cut mine down to about 18" to reduce the stress/workload on the roots - one still isn't doing so well, but the healthier of the two has put on quite a bit of new growth & is shaping into a more attractive habit, as well

as to blooms for the rest of the year, i don't know - pruning in the spring is preferred, but i'm certain pruning at this time won't hurt your buddleia at all

~ freshair

I have read that pruning in the spring is ideal for BB but before I read that I pruned mine last year in the fall. We had just moved into the house and the BB looked neglected. It had a lot of old growth and very little blooming. Since the fall pruning (as well as transplanting in the spring) it has done extremely well. Someone had mentioned taking a cutting, is that relatively easy to do? I'd love to have more!@ Good luck with your BB, it is beautiful!

I am interested in a butterfly bush.. the width of the plant worries me for becoming too big for the area I want to put it... I am in zone 5.. I understand that the plant dies back in the winter... with that being said, will the plant get really big if it dies back each year? If not can I prune it to keep it's size around 4 feet wide? Also is there a smaller variety of BB? Thanks. Kristi

I'm in zone 5 in NH, and my don't get terribly huge like they do even down in southern MA. My butterfly bushes die back every year, and there is maybe some new growth on the old wood, maybe a few inches up from the ground; otherwise, everything else is new growth. Butterfly bushes need regular watering--would that be a problem for you in CO?

There is only one Buddleia that I know of that blooms on "old" wood...Buddleia alternifolia. All others bloom on THIS YEARS GROWTH, so your efforts should be designed to promote as much new growth (new shoots) as low on the bush as you can. This equates to late winter pruning down to 10"-12". Most of the varieties of Buddleia davidii are hardy in zones 5-9. There are dwarf cultivars that range from 20"-(Blue Chip) to 3' x 3'(White Ball) while most others are in the 4'-7' range...probably a bit smaller in zone 5.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lazy S Nursery

I cut mine to the ground every year so that it doesn't take over the garden. It's happy.

Butterfly bushes should only be "drastically" pruned to within about 12" from the base, in early spring. You can judiciously prune errant branches, etc., throughout the growing season.

Cuttings are easy to grow. Choose reasonably new (not the woody ones) stems about 6" or larger, removing the foliage except for the tip leaves. Rooting hormone helps, but is not necessary. Put the cutting in potting soil, sand, whatever, they are not picky. Enclose the cutting in a plastic bag. I test the cutting by tugging on the top of the stems, and if the stem seems resistant, it has roots. Harden them off from the baggy by opening the top for a few days, and then removing it entirely. So easy to do!

Heavy fall or winter pruning is not advised - mine died one year after pruning it heavily in late fall. Now I leave all the dead stems over winter and prune it in early spring. Someone said that they successfully pruned theirs in late fall, but I wouldn't risk it.

As Bob says, there are many new dwarf hybrids out there now. Another pretty one is Silver Anniversary. MissSherry has a beautiful Ellen's Blue that I covet...lol. I planted a Nanho purple one time, though, which is a dwarf, and it did not attract any butterflies at all in my garden. Others have said it has for them. The old standbys like Pink Delight, White Profusion, and the yellow flowering buddleias are good nectar sources for sure.

Susan

Susan,

When I make it over to OKC, I have an Ellen's Blue for you. I bought a flat of 12" plants from a supplier. They were a fantastic price (Sandy

I know, I know, but I just can't seem to help it! Ever since I saw MissSherry's beautiful photos of the butterflies on Ellen's Blue, I have had this deep, dark secret! At least it's no longer a secret, heehee!

Thanks, Sandy - you're such a good friend!

I didn't do much today - it was brrr! cold outside. Only 58 degrees, and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 80s! This weather is totally out of control.

Susan