I've never lost a BB in z5 Denver or here in MA and I've had over a dozen over the years. They're just now getting going here with new growth so you shouldn't be far behind. I'm z6 near the coast. They're pretty hardy!

Oh, I always take mine down to about 6" in April too as I find they have a better shape when pruned low. I also hate looking at a bunch of sticks, lol. You don't have to wait to see any growth to prune....doesn't make any difference.

Vicki, I have 2 Black Knight and 2 Pink Delight, and they all came back fine this year.

However, Buddleia is on the edge of hardiness in our Zone. I've been told by nursery-people that there are some winters many people lose their butterfly bushes.

I would suggest planting Buddleia in the Spring only, to give it a full season to get established; select a somewhat sheltered, full sun location, to be safe; and mulch heavily in the late fall after the ground is frozen, to protect the roots.

Never cut them down in the fall or winter - I wait until the first sign of greens buds - usually some time in April, and then cut them down to about 6-12" just above the buds.

Well, hmm. jant, you're in zone 6 and you say yours are just getting started, which gave me hope mine might spring back to life, but terrene is in zone 5 and says new growth starts in April, which makes me think mine are really, truly dead (and they do look dead, the bark is peeling off the stems).

I did plant in spring of last year, so they should have had enough time to get established. The site is next to a barn and gets morning shade and afternoon sun. The whole bed is mulched with about 4 inches of pine bark mulch, but I didn't add any additional protection to the buddleia, nor did I cut it back til this spring. It's also under the overhang of the barn, so it got dumped on with snow. I don't know which of these variables would have killed it off this winter--the not-full-sun location, lack of additional mulching, or cutting it back too early--so I don't know whether I should try again.

Are you sure you don't see any new leaves growing from the base? My client's BB is dead to the ground or nearly so after each winter.

They are fairly reliable here, although I've never had any old growth saved after winter. Even after the very mild winter 2 yrs ago I still had to whack them to about 6".

I've had some that have done well and many that have been winter killed. I think the color extremes, white or very dark, are less hardy than the those in the middle of the spectrum. I have not tried Black Knight but none of the dark colors I have tried have survived more than one winter. I have a light purple which is now 5+ years old.

veilchen, I went out and looked again this morning, pulling back mulch from all around the base - no sign of life. Sigh.

dave, your comments are interesting and I was wondering if varieties made a difference

I've also just read that "perfect drainage" is necessary and these were near a faulty gutter - not right under it, but a couple feet from it and now I wonder if they got too wet over the winter

Give your Black Knight a little time. Mine pulled thru, even with very little snow cover. It just started showing green last week. I also have a Tri-color that just started showing some sprouts yesterday (I thought I had a place for a new rose, guess not).

Having it in partial shade may be delaying any growth. Mine are in full sun, 6-8 hours, and I only mulch about 2", so my ground is probably warmer than yours is at this point.

Yes, this plant needs either full sun or heavy morning sun vs afternoon which is really providing just a few hours of valuble growing sun. I'd probably move it out now into a spot like that or even pot it up and put it in the sun and see what happens. I put mine in pots this year so I can screen out some undesirable views here and there...ever changing, lol.

Hmm, well it does get full sun from 11 or 12 until sunset which is 7 or 8, so I thought that counted as "full sun". I think I'm going to try to replace the plants this year and fix the leaky gutter. Since the two buddleia and one zebra grass are the only plants in the bed that didn't make it, and since the buddleia are at the back of the bed where they may have had too much water from the bad gutter, and since we had such a wacky winter (rain in Jan as I recall, then hard freeze), and since I'm such an inexperienced gardener . . . well I think that's enough "sinces" for now. Bottom line is I won't know if I don't try again. If they don't make it through next year with a fixed gutter and hopefully better conditions, I'll give up and try something else. Thanks for all your input! It's been really helpful.

I have quite a few butterfly bushes-it took me several years before they were reliable, but this is what I have:

One large 'Black Knight' that is now sprouting from the base. I have not yet pruned. I wait until late spring to prune (I'm a little later than normal due to travel & illness). I think I read that some plants store carbs in their stems to carry them through the winter. I have a 'Border Beauty' that is growing nicely. I have 2 varigated 'Harlequin' bushes that do very well. Then I have a dozen or so self seeded bushes that are small but coming along. I did get quite a few that sowed themselves along the side of the garage in rocky soil last year. They are all up again this year-one of them is white, which is odd since I don't have any white ones that I actually planted. These get absolutely no care at all-no food, water, pruning-nothing. Yet they are there again now.

I don't add any extra mulch for any of my bushes. If they can't survive the winter on their own, then I'd treat them as annuals, since I love them and would have at least one even if I had to replant every year. Fortunatly I don't have to.

Here's something else to consider when siting Buddleia or Caryopteris: they must have excellent drainage! they aren't plants that will tolerate "wet feet".

I've lost two, one because of the drainage, and one in that dreadful winter we had some years ago... no snow cover, and brutally cold weather for over a month.

OTH, I do very well with Caryopteris, but it's sited in the best sun and most sharply drained site I have. I don't mulch at all. I prune it hard in April and it loves it! I have volunteers everywhere and even those survive.

chelone, I suspect poor drainage may have been my problem this year. I'm hoping that a fixed gutter and a better winter will give the ones I plant this year a better chance.

terryboc, I'm sure I didn't help things by whacking mine back in April - just an overeager new gardener with pruning shears! I'll wait for new growth next year, esp since I don't even know where the growth comes from on these plants!