The butterfly bush (actually buddleia) is without question one of the most popular garden shrubs, which is not only due to its ability to bloom, but above all because, as the name suggests, it attracts numerous butterflies to the garden. How are you supposed to resist him? But with its arrival comes the need for regular trimming. Should you cut butterfly lilac in spring?
In general, shrubs are always cut in spring. Depending on the type of shrub, the only thing that differs is the type of pruning - some are just cleaned out and lightly shaped, others are radically pruned. What does the butterfly bush look like?
Cut butterfly lilac in spring or would you rather cut it in autumn?
Whether a shrub is cut in spring depends primarily on when it produces its flower buds. If you cut back too much the flowers that form in the fall of the previous year, they will not bloom.
Then there are also those that only develop buds on the new shoot and this is exactly what our beautiful butterfly bush is. For this reason, cutting it in spring is recommended. It stimulates the bush to grow vigorously, which also has a positive effect on the amount of flowers and is therefore highly recommended.
Pruning can be done boldly, as it will not only cause no damage to the plant. In fact, the harder you cut, the healthier, stronger and more lush the new growth will be. And of course that also affects the amount of flowers - exactly what we want to achieve, right?
Nevertheless, there are a few things to keep in mind, because you can't cut the ornamental shrub without any rules. We summarize the most important things so that even beginners will have an easy time.
When exactly can you cut the butterfly lilac in spring?
You don't have to wait long before cutting, just combine it with your first garden work. This is already appropriate in late winter. In other words: from around mid-February onwards the right time has come. It is also important that you choose a frost-free period. So it's worth following the weather forecast, although a brief frost at night wouldn't immediately harm the plant.
The flowers of the butterfly tree appearusually in July, i.e. in the middle of summer. However, if you wait too long to prune, the flowering period will logically be postponed.
By the way:It's worth itCut off the dead lilacs. This not only makes the lilac appear more well-groomed, but also encourages further flowering, which extends the flowering period (the insects will thank you too).
The benefit and purpose of a spring pruning
Of course, it is not enough to just know the right time. You also need to prune the butterfly lilac correctly for the process to make any sense.
You have two possible variants, each serving a different purpose:
- Affect growth in generalor
- stimulate flowering.
So think in advance what you want from the cut. You can use it to ensure that the shrub grows taller and the crown also grows denser. This is an advantage, for example, in the initial phase when the shrub is still young and small and you want to stimulate it to grow more vigorously.
Does your butterfly bush appear to have suffered frost damage?You can do that.
If the flowers are more important to you, the cut will be done differently. Don't worry, we'll explain how to do it in a moment.
How is it done? Find out with this guide
There are also the same cutting measures for both purposes, which look like this:
- dead branches are removed
- cut off weak shoots
- Thin out the shrub by removing criss-crossing and very densely packed branches
For strong shoot growthfollow these steps. The old wood can continue to grow in the new season, but here too it is advisable to shorten it a little. You can also trim one or two branches if they are already too long or bothersome. The outer branches should be slightly shorter than the inner ones.
Is your buddleia too bare for you? Then pay particular attention to cutting those branches that are supposed to compact the plant, i.e. inside. Several new branches sprout from a cut branch, so you can specifically ensure denser growth. You can do that with this variant toofor flower stimulationinsert.
If you want to stimulate flower formation
In order for the plant to produce abundant and, above all, large flowers, more vigorous pruning is necessary.
- Cut back the flower shoots from the previous year vigorously.
- It is best to leave only one pair of buds per branch.
- If you would like to keep the shoots a little longer in some places, you can also leave two or three pairs of eyes on the bush. This is an advantage in the middle areas, for example, because then the shrub retains its natural shape, whereas with the same cutting lengths it could appear more spherical and tree-like.
- The cut itself is made directly above the pair of eyes. Be careful not to injure the buds.
Also interesting:Fertilizing cherry laurel in spring: When should you do it and which fertilizers are suitable?
The cut of the butterfly lilac in the bucket
Dwarf varieties are usually chosen for container planting. Gardeners then prefer to cut thesespherical and like a tree. Accordingly, choose the right one from the cutting techniques mentioned above and that would be the flower-promoting variant.
Shaped like a tree or would you prefer it to be a shrub?
If not already pre-formed, form a trunk from the strongest main shoot by removing everything around it and removing side shoots up to the desired crown height. Then shorten the remaining shoots that are supposed to form the spherical crown of the tree in order not only to give the lilac bush a shape cut, but also to stimulate vigorous flowering.
If you prefer the natural shrub shape, simply proceed as described above for vigorous growth. Depending on the location, cut back the shrub branches to up to two or three pairs of eyes. This also promotes lush flowering.
How to properly overwinter the buddleiafind out here.
