We all know how important trimming shrubs and trees is. This process not only improves the appearance of these plants but also fixes damaged areas and prevents them from growing out of control. While it is said that improper pruning results in weakened or damaged plants, that is not the case with the popular butterfly bush. Pruning butterfly bushes is easy. These perennials are extremely resilient and adaptable. Their flowers are a beautiful addition to any garden. But so that they continue to bloom so beautifully, you need to know how to cut butterfly lilac.
There are two types of butterfly bushes: Buddleia davidii and Buddleia alternifolia.Buddleia Davidiis a deciduous shrub with dark purple flowers that blooms from June to September.Buddleia alternifoliais a deciduous shrub with light purple flowers in spring. This type of butterfly lilac blooms on the previous year's shoots, so annual pruning is out of the question.
Watch for dieback. Dieback is caused by harsh winters or disease. In this case, a particularly cold winter could be the cause of your butterfly bush dying. When a plant dies, the leaf tips or roots begin to die, slowly leading to reverse dieback that ends with the entire plant dying. Dieback is common for butterfly bushes in colder climates - in very cold winters butterfly bushes often die back to their roots. However, that doesn't mean they can't be saved - that's what pruning is for. Lepidoptera plants break dormancy late, so you don't have to worry about winter damage as the plant may still be dormant.
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How is the shrub pruned?
How you prune your butterfly bush depends on theType of shrubwhichever you plant. If you have a Buddleia davidii, cut it back with a hard cut. Because they often die back in the winter, this type of butterfly bush can tolerate – and often does need – severe pruning. Even if your butterfly bush doesn't die back in the winter, you should prune it in late winter at a height of 6 to 8 inches above the ground to ensure good growth the following spring. If you have a Buddleia alternifolia, cut the shrub back severely to about ⅓ of its size immediately after flowering in early summer. When pruning, focus on the shape of the shrub.
Shecan the bushcut back to a height of twelve to twenty-four centimeters. For most plants, this is a drastic reduction. But these plants not only tolerate it, but are often even better off. This way, some of last year's growth is retained, allowing this area of the garden to fill up more quickly and produce lots of blooms. If the leaves have already sprouted, you can still prune them back a bit, but if you cut below the new growth, it will take much longer for them to fill out this year. An application of fertilizer in March or April and another in June or July will promote growth. A generous portion of compost or organic all-purpose fertilizer is recommended.
If your butterfly bush is at the back of the garden against a fence and you want it to grow taller, cut it back to about a meter so that the plant produces taller growing (and therefore flowering) shoots. You can then grow lower plants near the butterfly bush without neglecting the butterfly bush's flowers.
When to cut butterfly lilacs
Generallyyou should use the butterfly lilacIn warmer climates, prune in the winter months when the plant is dormant. However, the butterfly lilac can also be cut in spring without any negative effects. Just make sure you wait until all danger of frost has passed. Keep in mind that when you prune your butterfly lilac, an additional layer of mulch may be necessary around the shrub to insulate it, especially in colder climates.
In warmer areas this is not necessary except for aesthetic reasons as the butterfly bush tends to stay green. Those who decide to prune in the spring or even summer need not worry, as these shrubs handle stress well and will come back stronger than ever. Butterfly bushes grow quickly and respond well to pruning. New growth and flowers should reappear within a few weeks of pruning.
Prune your Buddleia davidii in early spring or late winter. It is best to prune the plant before new growth begins in spring. In climates with cold winters, the plant will most likely die completely. However, avoid pruning in early winter. The reason for this is that the logs are hollow and water that collects in the log and then freezes causes the wood to split. That's not a good thing. Butterfly lilacs bloom on new wood.
So as long as you have plenty of sunlight, you'll have plenty of blooms all summer long if you prune in the spring.Butterfly lilac mustnot be pruned every year. They only need to be cut when they become too large for the allotted space. Since the perennials only bloom on new growth, many gardeners cut them back heavily in spring to encourage strong new growth and lots of flowers.
Remove spent flowers
You should cut the butterfly lilac flowers when they arehave fadedas long as the plant blooms. This means that you should pick or cut off the dead flowers while the bush is still blooming. Spent flowers will begin to turn brown and look very wilted. Cut the dead flowers back to the base of the stem. This will ensure that your shrub produces new flower buds longer into its flowering season than if it were left unattended. At the end of the season, you should cut off any spent flowers. This will help the plant form buds for next year. This also reduces the likelihood that the butterfly bush will self-seed and take over the entire garden.
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