Where to prune butterfly bush?

by Amy

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My once beautiful butterfly bush has stopped flowering for the most part - where should I prune it (and when)?

5 answers

Sandy Cunningham Sgro on Jul 31, 2014
Snip off the dead flowers and you should get new growth on the stems.

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Rebecca Hirst on Aug 01, 2014
Plant it in the ground and it will go crazy

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Douglas Hunt on Aug 01, 2014
You should deadhead (cut off spent flowers) on butterfly bush to keep it blooming. You can cut it almost back to the ground in late winter/early spring just before it starts to leaf out.

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Amy on Aug 01, 2014
great advice - thanks....the three I planted in the ground aren't doing much better :(

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- The Garden Frog with C Renee on Aug 01, 2014
  @Amy You said the others are not doing so well either? Are they in full sun? How long ago did you plant them?
  
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- Amy on Aug 02, 2014
  @The Garden Frog with C Renee Please see post/photo below/ THANKS!
  
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Amy on Aug 01, 2014
they have full sun...Do you have any advice on them..I planted them in March.I don't feed them too often and probably should . Appreciate it!

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- The Garden Frog with C Renee on Aug 02, 2014
  @Amy Okay that answers a lot. The first thing is see is that you need to clear out the weeds around the bushes and mulch at least 4" to keep weeds down and moisture in. They are doing well so I would not worry. Living in TX a zone similar to mine next year will should notice growth and by the 3rd year that bush will triple in size for sure. In my experience, weeds take away from plants and suck the nutrients and moisture out of the ground. I do not fertilize much because 1) i forget alot 2) i rely on nature and the breaking down of mulch and other organic material to feed the soil and plant. When I do fertilize, I use fish fertilizer in a white bottle at Lowe's or HD for around $8 and it lasts a long time. It is smelly and my Aussie loves to lick it. Yuck. I highly suggest getting some and mixing a capful in a gal jug of water and water each plant that way-slowly so the water does not run off too quick. I hope this helps! If you remember to prune off the dead (or deadheading ) flowers as Douglas states above-no worries because I do not and most times my plants keep on blooming-they will slow down and rest and then bloom again. But butterfly bushes are slightly invasive in our zones so keeping it root pruned when it gets older will be important to keep in contained. (Root pruning is just cutting around the plant as far as the branches or smaller to keep the plant from sending runners out into your yard) hope this info helps. happy gardening
  
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- The Garden Frog with C Renee on Aug 02, 2014
  @The Garden Frog with C Renee I wanted to add too that you should take and plant the potted butterfly bush in the ground because they prefer to be free and roam the ground to spread and bloom. I use pots for many types of evergreens like Arborvitae and boxwood and find they they do great in container gardening which will give you winter green and interest all year (you can plant flowers around them in spring). So I would check into a small $7 evergreen and right now I know my Lowes here in VA is marking shrubs down 50%. Just keep it watered and you will have about 3 years in that pot and then you plant that in the ground because it will be large enough for a specimen in the landscape and then start over. I do this all the time (I get bored easily and like to change things up a bit LOL)
  
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- Amy on Aug 03, 2014
  @The Garden Frog with C Renee Awesome! I will go out and buy some of that fishy stuff today! I had planned on weeding and mulching, but thought I would wait; won't put that off any longer! THANKS again!
  
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