Last Updated on February 15, 2022 by Real Men Sow
If you had already grown your butterfly bush, chances are that your bush has gotten out of control at least once. Buddleia can quickly grow to be a huge shrub which is up to 3m/10ft that will take over smaller gardens, this means it is time for pruning buddleia!
Best Time To Start Pruning Buddleia
To prevent the shrub from becoming straggly, prune it every other day. It will produce many fragrant purple flowers if left to grow naturally, but they will be smaller if it is pruned hard every year.
This Buddleia flower is produced from shoots in the current year. Pruning in February or March won’t stop them from producing flowers in the next Summer.
Pruning Butterly Bush
With a pair of sharp secateurs, cut down all the last year’s growth to just 2 or 3 healthy shoots at their base. As new shoots might not grow, it is important not to cut back on older wood. This type of pruning might seem harsh, but Buddleia is a fast-growing plant that produces lots of new growth.
What to Do After Pruning Buddleia?
It’s worth giving your plants some tender loving care after you have pruned them. My plants get a layer of 5cm farmyard manure, and some granular plant food.
