If you cut your butterfly bush consistently, the summer symphony of flowers, long flowering period and floral vitality will be your thanks for your effort. The right time is just as important as a courageous cut. Read this guide to find out when and how to properly cut a Buddleja davidii.
How do I prune a butterfly bush correctly?
Cut back a butterfly bush vigorously in spring (mid-February to early March): shorten scaffold-forming ground shoots to at least 100 cm and side shoots to 2 to 4 buds. Remove weak ground shoots and promote the growth of new flowering wood.
Cutting date is in spring
A butterfly bush is blooming on this year's wood. First, the young shoots sprout with numerous flower systems. Just in time for the beginning of summer, the first flower panicles unfold at the tips of the shoots. As the process progresses, a number of side branches form along the ground shoots, which also boast flowers.
The growth behavior of the buddleia means that early spring is the ideal time for cutting. If temperatures are above freezing between mid-February and early March, use garden shears to set the stage for this year's blossom festival. By choosing this date, you are also taking the Federal Nature Conservation Act into account by observing the grace period (€6.00 on Amazon) for our endangered birdlife.
Prune the butterfly bush vigorously
The dead wood from the previous year has to go so that your butterfly bush can show off its opulent flowers. The rule of thumb applies to the extent of cutting: the more vigorous the pruning, the more powerful the growth. With the following cut you clear the way for young flowering wood:
- Short the scaffolding ground shoots by half, at least to a height of 100 cm
- Specifically cut at a short distance from a leaf node or eye
- Cut last year's dead side shoots to 2 to 4 buds
- Starting with the 4th year, cut back an old scaffolding shoot to 10 cm
- Choose a young ground shoot as a successor and shorten it to 30 cm
- Light out excess, weak ground shoots to short stubs
You have done everything right if what remains of the butterfly lilac is a remnant of knee-high ground shoots with short side stubs. The space available determines the correct number of scaffold shoots. A shapely buddleia with three to five ground shoots as a framework is well positioned. A well-measured portion of compost with horn shavings is just what the ornamental shrub needs to sprout vigorously and live up to its name.
Cleaning for extra long blooms
Experienced home gardeners always have scissors with them on their summer patrols through the garden. Numerous flowering bushes benefit from having wilted inflorescences cleaned out regularly. In this regard, a butterfly lilac is no exception.
Cut off spent panicles by placing the blades of the scissors about one centimeter above a swelling bud. By attending to wilted flowers promptly, you also prevent invasive spread through self-sowing. Are overly long branches a thorn in your side? Then cut it back to a strong, outward-facing side shoot.
Tip
In the front garden, a butterfly bush is popular as a house tree because it is so easy to train into a standard tree. Beginners in hobby gardening can purchase this gem at a reasonable price from the hand of the master gardener. A separate tutorial is dedicated to the annual pruning of the butterfly tree, which you can read here.