Pruning Buddleia

At the weekend I started to reduce my 10 year old Buddleia by a third which I've done around this time in previous years. It didn't flower very well this year and I noticed that there was quite a lot of dead wood plus some white mould on one section. Rather than leaving it until March when I would normally prune it again, I took all the stems down to about a foot high. It had lost most of this year's leaves, apart from the usual next year's small buds, so I reckoned it was dormant. I know it's too late now but just wondered if anyone has done this before without causing any harm (or otherwise!) .

 

I have, with no ill effects .

 

Me too

 

Thank you @AnniD and @Pete8, no more guilt now .

 

It's almost impossible to kill Buddleia. (Famous last words)

 

I took mine down to a woody framework of 18 inches high, maybe a bit more. The trunk (yes, was like a small tree). Bounced back brilliantly this year, even after losing some of the early growth to frost and rain storms).

 

No it isn't; I've had four die on me since the drought of 2022. Well established growing well for 10 years or so. Probably mainly due to the wet weather since summer 2023.

 

I inherited a Buddleia tree with most unusual flowers which I hadn't seen before but not attractive. It must be years old as there is no way you could dig it up with such thick trunks.
I got a gardener to cut it down as low as possible thinking that it would die off but no such luck as it grew to its height of about 8 foot the following year.
I don't think you have anything to worry about!

 

Thank you all, you’ve calmed my worries! It’s in a sheltered location on sandy soil and also protected by evergreen shrubs. Anything that grows along railway sidings should be happy there .

 

I normally take my black knight off at the ankles in February. This year it'll happen before christmas, then I'll do some hard wood cuttings and start afresh, as it's on it's last knockings at 30 + years old

 

They cope with all the rain we have here @NigelJ , so perhaps something else going on? Or a poorer layer of drainage lower down?
I cut mine back in various ways - B. Knight in this garden too @flounder. I often cut back a few feet in early autumn, then the main hacking in about March or early April. The main one forms part of my boundary 'hedge' in the back garden, so I layer it - the front gets hacked back more than the back section. I inherited a white one here that I had to move. Hacked back to the ankles, and it sat, not even properly planted, for about a year [maybe more] until I'd had my extension done. I gave it to my nepheew and it's been very happy in his garden since then.
Very easy from cuttings. I just stick bits in pots. I also use the pieces I cut off as supports for various plants, and they often grow too. I planted out a bit yesterday that I'd done that with to help support some fennel and V. bon in a bed. I suddenly noticed flowers on it during late summer, so it was potted up.

 

Yes, @fairygirl, that's pretty much how I do all my cuttings....cut bits off and bung them in pots!
Too much is done with faffing about with propagation of plant material, when all you need to do is let the plant do the work

 

Of the four Buddleja I lost three of them were species from Central or South America, the other was from East Africa.
Anyway they will be out and replaced soon.

 

Ah - I was [wrongly!] assuming they were the type most of us have - davidiis, globosas etc.
That's a pity @NigelJ .
You have a lot of unusual or rare plants in your garden, judging from your photos. Will you pick something else, or simply replace those?

I think those are among the easiest plants to propagate @flounder. Heucheras being the other. Experimenting is always a good way to see what works for your conditions too.

 

One of my many bad habits is unusual plants. Initially I will remove the bodies and then shift some things around, I have a couple of things in pots that need planting out.
As to replacement of the Buddlejas some are relatively easy to replace and one is occasionally in stock with one nursery, but he may have lost his stock plant recently.