Butterfly Bush Trimming
The warmer your climate the more you should cut back your butterfly bush each spring.
Butterfly bush trimming. However the butterfly bush can also be pruned in the spring with no ill effects. This bush now grows to 1215 ft. That means in most growing zones there is no need to prune your butterfly bush before winter.
Butterflies bushes might become a bit bare inside without pruning and if so the flowers will sit higher and higher in the bush. You can hard-prune your Butterfly Bush in late winter or early spring when new growth begins to emerge. Many varieties of butterfly bush can become quite large up to 12 tall.
At this time remove all dead plant parts. So it will die back to the ground. In mild climates prune larger varieties in late fall or early spring to clean up and maintain shape.
Deadhead the butterfly bushs flowers to remove the spent blooms throughout its blooming season. In cold climates treat as perennials cutting back close to the ground in late winter or early spring. Removing errant stems and growth will help prevent more acute damage from winter weather and is a sensible way of preparing butterfly bushes for winter in any region.
Plants pruned this way start to as flower at the same time as plants pruned once in spring but carry on for a week or so longer. You can protect the roots by mulching around the root zone. Regarding your butterfly bush Buddlia you are safe to prune it at either time as long as it is late winter moving into early spring.
When trimming a butterfly bush try cutting back the lateral branches to help train the shrub to grow into a desired shape or keep it within a specific area. Just make sure you wait until the threat of frost has passed. I live in CT and only trim back my butterfly bushes in FebMar time frame trim back to 2ft.