How to Prune Buddleia: A Step-By-Step Guide

29/11/2024 Sav Taylor

Have you been neglecting your buddleia? Or perhaps it’s your first time growing this beautiful plant? Our easy step-by-step guide on how to prune buddleia will show you just how simple it is to keep your buddleia looking its best.

If you’ve let your butterfly bush run a little riot, you’ll notice it doesn’t look as neat as those nicely photographed gardens you see online.

But it doesn’t take an Alan Titschmarsh or Monty Don to get your buddleia back in shape.

With just a few simple steps, you can have your butterfly bush looking like it came straight out of a magazine.

Pruning tools are the name of the game here. You can use a pair of sharp shears or loppers, depending on the size of your buddleia.

Personally, we love Burgon & Ball tools to prune our buddleia plants (and the rest of the garden, too). We’ve listed our favourites below, which you can get right here and take advantage of our free delivery*!

When to Prune Buddleia

The ideal time to get your pruners out is late winter (for the varieties that flower in early May) and early spring (for the summer-blooming varieties).

It'll be easy to tell when to start because you'll start seeing green buds appear on the bush.

You'll also find that there are no longer any animals nesting in the bush, which shows that it's prime time to start pruning safely without disrupting any wildlife.

How to Prune Buddleia

Pruning buddleia is quite an easy process, and there isn't much technical skill involved, making it the perfect bush to prune for beginners.

There are a few things you’ll need to take note of, like how far to cut the branches back and how much of the bush you should prune, all of which we’ll take you through below.

Step 1: Inspect the Plant

Give your plant a quick assessment and look for the areas that look a bit overcrowded where branches might be rubbing together, which isn't ideal. This is where you want to make your cuts.

It’s best to start at the top of the plant, cutting down the plant to around half its height.

Look out for any dead, diseased, or damaged branches, too, as you want to snip these off for good. If your buddleia is very overgrown, it might be a case of noticing these along the way, so keep your eyes peeled.

Step 2: Start With Dead or Damaged Wood

Our Burgon & Ball pruning shears should be used for thinner branches. Their sharp blades make cutting through thinner branches easier and less likely to split the wood.

Our loppers should be used for tougher, harder-to-reach branches that need to be removed. Specifically, branches that are high up because the Burgon & Ball loppers can extend up to 78cm.

If you spot any diseased branches, make sure you cut well below the affected area to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.

1. 

   Burgon & Ball Anvil Secateur

   £16.99

Step 3: Thin Out Old Growth

It’s now time to remove old thick stems at the bottom to encourage new growth. If you leave them to grow, the old wood will get in the way of a beautiful flowering.

We recommend cutting the older branches 15-20cm above ground to ensure you’ve removed all old growth.

Old stems can be pretty tough, so you’ll need sharp pruners like our Pocket-Sized Garden Pruners with a Carbon Steel Blade to help you cut through the thickness.

Step 4: Shape Your Plant

By cutting last year's growth down by about two-thirds (we know, it can feel like you're removing the whole plant!), you'll have an abundance of flowers in the blooming season.

Now get creative and shape the plant the way you think it would look nicest in your garden. A rounded bush slightly smaller will be much more manageable.

1. 

   Burgon & Ball Greenhouse Garden Caddy

   From: £19.99
2. 

   Burgon & Ball Anvil Secateur

   £16.99
3. 

   Burgon & Ball Bypass Secateur

   £15.98

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Step 5: Cut Back Side Shoots

Remember to trim side shoots from the buddleia to 2-4 buds from the base of the shoot. It can be easy to forget this step, but it’s essential for the health of your plant.

This will maintain an open structure while promoting healthy air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases.

Step 6: Clean Up Debris

By this point, you will have made a bit of a mess, so you'll need to tidy up your debris with your garden waste bag.

Compost any healthy cuttings and dispose of the dead, diseased wood responsibly.

Step 7: After Care

Apply a balanced fertiliser to promote healthy growth and flowering when the time comes. This will significantly improve the look of your buddleia.

You should also water your plant if the soil is looking a little dry.

Common Mistakes When Pruning Buddleia

Although the steps to pruning your buddleia are relatively easy to follow, gardeners make some common mistakes while carrying out the job.

This is only natural, and it happens in all areas of gardening, not just pruning.

But to ensure you don't make easily avoided mistakes, here are a few things to watch out for before you start hacking away at your bufferfly bush.

1. 

   Burgon & Ball Greenhouse Garden Caddy

   From: £19.99
2. 

   Burgon & Ball Anvil Secateur

   £16.99
3. 

   Burgon & Ball Bypass Secateur

   £15.98

Items 1 to 3 of 5 total

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The Importance of Pruning Buddleia

There are plenty of reasons why pruning your buddleia is important. The vibrant bush needs a little bit of love and care, so it can prosper into a gorgeous bloom that attracts an abundance of wildlife.

Here are the reasons why it’s important to prune your buddleia:

Finishing Up: Pruning Buddleia for a Show-Stopping Garden

And there you have it! As long as you maintain the pruning of your buddleia bush, you should have a blooming beautiful outdoor shrub to admire!

The sea of pinks, purples, and blues is enough to spark joy in any avid gardener who can appreciate a fine flower bush when they see one.

So, pick up your tools today and start pruning your buddleia! The little effort you put in will pay off massively.

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