Buddleja Pruning

Hi All

I purchased 4 buddleja shrubs in the end of summer sales. I want to attract as many butterflies as possible next summer for my daughter to see.

what I would like to know is; should i prune off all the old buds now & how low should i trim?

I would like to keep these nice & compact not leggy unlike the ones you see growing in the wild.

What are your tips?

regards
r2oo

 

Buddlejas flower on wood produced in the same year. So you can prune them back any time between now and say April. The usual reason for waiting till spring is so that you do not have to prune twice. If you want bigger shrubs then you do not actually need to remove every branch, just say a third each year. That way you get a big shrub with a reasonable amount of flower. I am assuming here you have Buddleja davidii forms. B. alternifolia and globosa are pruned differently.

 

Thanks Palustris, yes they are sp. Davidii I have 5 or six in total, all different colours. looking at how & where these grow in the wild, am i right in thinking I could cram them all in together to make a multi-coloured bush. each one is currntly onlu about 1-1 1/2 ft high. shall I prune the buds off now then?

 

I prune mine in April, this way there is more protection from frost, but you may be in a better position in Wales.

I would not like to grow them so close as you suggest, there is likely to be one that is more vigerous and takes over. Also you are not leaving yourself any room for other shrubs to adorn your garden at other times of the year.

 

So Far I've only planted 2 in my border & they are next to each other. maybe i'll group them in twos around the garden!

 

I would also like to know how I can create a standard buddleja?? (see image)are these grafted??? or can I create one from the small ones I have?

 

I would think they're grafted, r200 - I think it would be difficult to encourage a buddleja to grow like that. It does work with fuchsias, though....

I can't say I like them much, I prefer plants to look natural - and call this version the Side-show Bob plant......

Oh, BTW - when planting, odd numbers look best. I generally plant in 3s. Never planted a clump of buddlejas, though - just singly! They're big plants!

 

Agree with the others here. I would not prune them now at all, wait till March/April. As for planting closely, they really do get very big in good soil, so three together would take up a lot of space, eventually say a minimum of 6 feet across circle?
Looking at the standard one, I would imagine that if you took a normal B. davidii and rubbed out all the side growths, leaving only the top one, it would grow taller like this (for details look at any good site on Fuchsia cultivation).

[ 07. November 2006, 11:33 AM: Message edited by: Palustris ]

 

If they are exposed I lop about a 1/3 off now to minimise wind rock then give a good spring haircut when growth is underway.

Initially I would plant them as you suggest in no more than groups of 2. That way you can see how they react to having some company. For a standard take a vertical lead shoot and start off a cutting. Remove any side growth as it shows untill your stem is the height you want then nip the growth tip to make it bush out. Keep removing any side shoots untill the wood matures. Most are pretty vigerous so shouldn't need grafting but probably best to use a good support stake.

Loads of other plants will attract butterflies. Canytuft is a magnet for early Tortoiseshells and after your Buds have finished Asters and Ivy will have Red Admirals coming later in the year. Nasturtiums are also normally dizzy with the Whites.

You can also encourage a scond flush on your Buds by removing faded flower stems and letting the side spikes develop.