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Prune a Buddleja

Dave TDave T Posts: 6
in Problem solving

Hello, hope you are well,

I have three Buddleja in my garden from what I can tell, I moved into the house on November 2013 and am learning to garden. I have not pruned anything as I am terrified of killing something. But the Buddleja plants are really tall and one leans right over. They still have last years dead flower heads on and I think I need to cut them back. Is May too late to prune and if not how far can I take them because the central stems are around 3 to 4 foot. Any help is appreciated.

 

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  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995

    I cut mine back down to about six inches every spring.  They bloom on new growth, so it's important to prune.. and your buddleia is a good one to start with.  As you can't really be too harsh.  image  Prune to maintain a good base structure, there are lots of diagrams out there on the Internet.  Do it this weekend, you should still be okay.. just leave on a bit more green growth than six inches of stump. image

    Utah, USA.
  • Dave TDave T Posts: 6

    Hi Verdun / Blue Onion, hope you are well.

    Thanks very much for the reply. Ideally I would like to get the main stem down a lot shorter on one because the branches lean right over the lawn at quite a big angle. But the tips of the dead flowers on all three are probably around 15 Ft in the air and sometimes flap around over the next door fence too much.

    I think I will prune lightly on two of them to start then and cut back a bit harder on the one that leans right over.

    Thanks for the advice

    Much appreciated.

    Dave

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I would cut them all back hard - they'll grow and bloom much better on new growth than on the old growth from last year. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Dave TDave T Posts: 6
    Hi Dovefromabove, thanks very much for your advice. Much appreciated.



    Regards



    Dave
  • DaintinessDaintiness Posts: 988

    Be brave Dave! Buddleias are very difcult to kill and they will appreciate your braveness. If you do it asap as per the advice above you will avoid the wind snapping bits off or at worst splitting the stem - more heartache for you in the long run. You can do it !!   image

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,697

    Buddleias thrive on being cut back hard every few years. It stops them getting leggy.

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995

    You can DO IT Dave.  image  Be strong!  Be tough!  Be brave!

    Utah, USA.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,352

    I assume we are talking about the Buddleia Davidii's here. They have lightly scented conical flowers - highly attractive to butterflies. I believe other buddleias (such as the ones with globe flowers) may require a slightly different pruning regime - but I don't know for sure.

    I have the 'normal' Davidiis and, if it helps you be brave Dave, I can tell you I cut mine hard back to about 18" each year. They are usually back to between 2 & 3m high by mid-summer and covered in flowers.

    I usually cut mine in late winter / early spring but we have had a cold spring and they are only just starting to grow again. If you cut yours NOW they will soon catch up.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Rhod CromptonRhod Crompton Posts: 160

    The globe flowered ones flower on older growth so need to be pruned after flowering just to keep in shape, mines formed a nice shape now after a few years of selective pruning. That been said I still take a large amount of it each summer and once cut it right down too about 18 inches, this was so I could move it! It still came back with gusto 

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