Pruning Buddleias Butterfly Bushes - How and when to prune Buddleia

Buddleia davidii are the popular garden Butterfly Bushes. They need to be pruned at the right time. We take you through the steps of pruning your Buddleia and explain why spring is the best time to prune.

This section is for the Buddleia davidii types only. See the link for Buddleia alternifolia.

Buddleaia Globosa also needs different pruning treatment - see the A-Z at bottom of page.

This group of shrubs flower on new growth made in the current year, so it is to your advantage to prune the shrub well to produce many flowering shoots.

The pruning should take place early in the spring - before growth starts proper. Prune the Buddleia down to around 30cm (12 in) from ground level at this time. There may already be sprouting shoots on the Buddleia in a mild spring. No matter - Prune it back hard. This will make the Butterfly Bush grow many new arching branches, that will have larger flowers than if it had not been pruned.

As well as this hard prune in the spring, it is also beneficial to prune off all the dead and faded flowers once the main flowering season is over. This will be of benefit to the plant - not having to produce seeds on the old flowers - and it will bloom again later on. Take off all of the dead flowers regularly, and your Buddleia will flower until well into the autumn.

Once you have finished pruning your Buddleia, you should end up with a cluster of stems no longer than 30cms.

For Buddleia bushes at the back of a large border, you can perhaps just cut back to around 60cm each year. This will have the advantage of the flowering stems starting higher up and you will be able to plant other shrubs and perennials under or near to the base. The arching stems of the butterfly bush will then be seen higher up at the back of the border.

Back to A-Z of Pruning Shrubs | Pruning Buddleia alternifolia