Pruning Buddleia

[oldie]

My neighbour has asked for advice. She has a Buddleia that has not been pruned for about ten years, it's about 8ft tall and a similar spread. Any advice about when to prune and how much could we cut it back. There is a lot of dead wood to be seen but it has been flowering well and certainly attracts butterflies so I don't want to kill it.

[Flummery]

Wait till February or March then chop it hard back - you can use a saw. Cut it to about 1 ft off the ground. It really will regenerate in a season and when it's well pruned the racemes of flowers are bigger. You'll be doing it a favour.

[tamsin]

We chopped ours back yesterday. All this years growth comes off (the long shoots with flowers on top) plus anything dead or grown sticking out in the wrong place. It will start sprouting again then take off next year. It puts on 5-6' of height in a year. If you look closely it might have new growth already. It sprouts from older wood too so don't be scared to cut it back until it looks like a trunk.

[Two_Sheds]

What I do is prune it twice.

First cut is before the winter gales (take half to two thirds off) to prevent wind rock (do this for roses too).

then in early spring, take it down to within about 18" of the ground, depending on how brave you are.

[Eco-Chic]

I need to do mine too. It's taken over the whole of my front garden and is threatening to tap with ghostly fingers on my upstairs bedroom windows.

Absolutely rocks with bees, butterflies and little birds throughout the summer and autumn and the scent is to die for.

Just working up the courage to use the chainsaw

[sewer rat]

I don't want to kill it.

These shrubs are virtually indestructible, and as has already been pointed out, pruning them hard can actually increase the flowering potential. I have just hammered a very large bush to within three ft of the ground (I estimate it was about 12ft high and similar spread) and it will get hit again in spring.
I have seen what can only be described as a stump, replanted and recover to flower within 6 months - as I said, virtually indestructible.

[dogsbody]

Take a third off now as mentioned above, reduces wind rock, then in late March take it back all over to two buds (leave sets) from the trunk end everywhere. By summer it will be about 6 - 8 feet tall covered in flowers and wildlife. I have 7 throughout the gardens, purple, blue, white and yellow (globe), and they try to seed everywhere too so are dead easy to grow on from seed.

[oldie]

Thanks for the advice. I will be sawing and cutting 6ft off it is not raining tomorrow.

[Flummery]

I find that a problem with cutting them too hard back at this time of year is that they can die back from the cut if they get hard-frosted. Leave the final chop till spring to be safe.

[dogsbody]

I did all mine yesterday as described above, with the exception of the yellow globe variety as it was still in flower. Today there is a red admiral making use of it.

As Flummery says, leave the serious cut until March and then always leave at least two leaf buds on each stem as frost protection.

[Two_Sheds]

I find that a problem with cutting them too hard back at this time of year is that they can die back from the cut if they get hard-frosted. Leave the final chop till spring to be safe.

A good point. I don't get a frost over here until February, usually.