Do pugster butterfly bush grow back from the ground??
Mandi (zone5)
last year
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Should I cut back this butterfly bush?
Comments (8)Since it's clearly alive, I can't imagine there's any danger of trimming. It looks like there are 2 (live) tall branches sticking up much higher. Unless those 2 are very sturdy, I would cut them back, just above the lower growing nodes on those branches. If they are at all floppy, they won't be able to support all of the growth they will produce, and start to lean far away from the center. If it's just leaning over another part of the bed, that might be OK, but if it's going to lean into the yard, that could get annoying. If you are going to trim any live parts, I would do it soon before the plant wastes energy on those parts. The bonus is that the trimmed parts are extremely likely to grow if you keep them moist-not-soggy, mostly shady (until you notice new signs of growth.) With most cuttings, it's necessary to remove most of the foliage but I don't find that to be necessary for Buddleia cuttings....See MoreButterfly bushes coming back?
Comments (20)Butterfly bushes are just short-lived plants, on average. Occasionally, you'll get one that lives for many years. I have a love/hate relationship with them because of this, and always think of them as temporary. I have grown them in OH and AL, and they seem to die equally well here in AL as they did in OH, so I don't think it's just about cold. I've always had several at a time, and have never had them all die. Every spring when I trim them, I stick the cuttings in various spots in the yard & beds. You want woody twigs from last year's growth. I've had very sparse results trying with new shoots. Pieces that are as big as a pencil or bigger are also less likely to take root. Try to get the stick as deep as you can, burying at least 2 nodes. If they keep wilting too fast, remove most of the foliage, and/or shade with a lawn chair for a week or 2. Yes, it's that easy. Most of them live if I remember to water them occasionally. When something is so easy to propagate, it can be forgiven if individual plants die quickly. I agree with those above who wait until they see signs of growth to trim these. No need spending time shaping a dead bush. There is no need to worry about trimming off the blooms. BB's bloom on new growth, and will continue to bloom all summer if you keep trimming off the dead flowers. As soon as the new ground shoots have a few pairs of leaves, pinch the tips for more branching (more flowers.)...See MoreCan I cut my butterfly bushes back this late?
Comments (12)I'm not a buddleia expert, but, I think the butterfly bush pruning rules apply mainly to cold, continental type climates, where a late freeze in May could stunt its ability to successfully make new growth for the duration of the growing season. I don't think it gets that cold in London, does it? I'm under the impression that all of Britain has a fairly mild climate, thanks to the Gulf Stream. I live in a mild climate (except for the hot, humid summers) and mine hold most of their leaves all winter long - I prune mine to about 2 ft. - 3 ft. tall in early spring. If yours has grown 10 ft. tall, then you must be getting enough heat for good growth. I say, go ahead and prune it, it'll probably do it good, make it bloom more, which is what you really want. It's your garden, and if it's blocking much-needed UK light, then it needs a trim! Sherry...See MoreDo you prune back your butterfly bush every spring?
Comments (6)I ran across a test a man did on his showing progress photos. He trimmed one down to the ground in early spring and left the other one next to it untrimmed to compare. By mid season, both shrubs were the exact same height except the untrimmed was not nearly as thick and robust and had far fewer blooms. Also, the dead blooms never fell off from the previous season so he had new blooms with last years together. Part of the experiment was to see if that actually did happen. It did. I am trimming mine next year. chrissy60-- if you want a small shrub there are cultivars that are much smaller available. I saw some just today at Home Depot. They were short and loaded with blooms....See More
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
last yearlast modified: last yearrouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
10 months agolast modified: 10 months agoMandi (zone5)
10 months ago
linaria_gw
10 months agoMandi (zone5)
10 months agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
10 months agoHere is our first year pugsters both in containers with the foliage having been ravaged by.....earwigs?
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