A butterfly bush enhances the beauty of your garden with its colorful conical cluster of flowers forming a vase-shaped structure. These flowers are pleasing to the eye, but this is strongly dependent on how well they are maintained through regular pruning.
If you do not prune butterfly bushes promptly, they produce few or no flowers accompanied by long, bare stems. The plant simply becomes an eyesore, contrary to the reason for growing such a plant in the first place. This guide sets out all the basic principles of butterfly bush pruning.
Butterfly Bush Pruning
Butterfly bush pruning involves removing overgrown, dead, or damaged plant parts to encourage new buds and blossoms.
The process for pruning or cutting back butterfly bush is similar to other bushes, but one thing you should focus on is timing. Below are some of the steps involved in brief:
Know when to prune
Know how often to prune
Understand the blooming cycles to encourage blooming
Use the right tools and techniques
Remove dead and dying parts of the plant
Remove slective branches
Dispose of pruned materials
How Do You Prune A Butterfly Bush
Now that you have a rough idea of what cutting back a butterfly bush involves, below are the detailed steps for pruning a butterfly bush.
1. Clean The Pruners
Always start with sterile and clean tools before you prune a butterfly bush or any other plant. Think of it as a safety precaution, like how a surgeon uses sterile tools everytime he operates to avoid contamination.
If your tools are not clean, your plant might be susceptible to diseases like fungal infections. So, sterilize your tool each time you trim a new branch to avoid contamination. You can do this with alcohol.
Do note that deadheading and pruning are entirely different. Deadheading is usually the first step in pruning and involves removing dead or dying flowers. If your butterfly bush has dead or faded flowers, remove them because they are neither beautiful nor good for the plant.
Your plant will focus on keeping the dead flower alive instead of focusing on new growth. Ideally, you want your plant to focus its energy on growing new branches and buds instead of recovery. Hence, remove old flowers so the plant can focus its energy on essential tasks.
3. Cut Back Butterfly Bush Dead And Dying Branches
Dead and dying branches are just as useless as dead and dying flowers. They do not contribute to the plant's health and take from it instead. Like the dead flowers, the butterfly bush will expend energy trying to revive it, wasting the plant's nutrients and energy.
These branches should be removed to redirect the plant resources and attention to growth. To identify these branches, look for brittle and grayish ones with spots on their leaves. Once you identify them, cut them using loopers or pruners and dispose of them.
4. Remove Crisscrossing Branches
Sometimes, your butterfly bush might grow haphazardly, resulting in branches crisscrossing. Crisscrossing branches are not a good sign because they rub against each other when the wind blows. This action scrapes away the bark and damages the branches.
These branches usually grow inward and could be unhealthy from lack of sunlight. It is better to remove them as they do not contribute to bud and flower production.
5. Remove The Suckers
Once you are done with dead flowers and stems, you should remove the suckers. Suckers are undesirable and usually a sign that your plant is stressed. They sap the plant energy, which could otherwise be spent on maintaining its health. They harbor diseases and pests, look unsightly, and alter the form of your plant.
Because of these reasons, the suckers need pruning. They originate from the root system or lower main stem of a plant, so you might need to look at the base of your plant to spot them. Avoid injuring the healthy branches when you are removing them.
Apart from pruning for health, you should also prune your butterfly bush to maintain its shape, especially if you want it to elevate the look of your garden. If unruly branches or stems sticking out, trim them so everything looks uniform.
You also want to maintain a shape that allows air circulation between the branches. So, ensure you thin the plant as needed to open up the spaces between the branches.
7. Check Your Work
Once you finish pruning and trimming the butterfly bush, examine your work to ensure you are satisfied. Your plant should look uniform without any long, straggler stems.
If you feel like you might have pruned too much, do not worry, as your bush will live. It will not grow as densely if you have pruned just right.
Tips On Pruning Butterfly Bush
Use clean, sterile, and rust-free pruners or loopers to minimize the risk of diseases.
Make a single, sharp cut when trimming branches and stems.
Cut just above the leaf node at a 45-degree angle to prevent wounding your butterfly bush and water accumulation at the cut points.
When pruning, remove only 1/3 of the plant's total growth.
Do not use the pruned parts as compost as they might be infected.
When Do You Prune Back Butterfly Bushes
Timing is everything when pruning butterfly bush. It can be the difference between a healthy butterfly bush bursting with flowers and one without blooms and dead branches and stems.
Pruning without considering the time might lead to unintended impacts. To avoid that, use the following guide to schedule your butterfly bush pruning for the best time of year.
The first thing you should consider to prune at the best time is the climate in your area and the variety of your butterfly bush. If your plant is at least 4 feet tall, trim it in late autumn to reduce size, maintain shape, and ready it for the next growing season.
This light pruning in autumn decreases the risk of winter damage. However, if you have to trim during colder climates, trim conservatively at the right time to stabilize the plant and protect it from winter.
Light Autumn Pruning
Your butterfly bush will benefit from light pruning in autumn. Light pruning involves cutting small parts of the plant to maintain its shape, encourage growth, and keep it healthy. You only remove spent flowers and yellow or dead leaves and avoid removing large portions. It is usually done in every growing season.
This pruning practice is especially suitable for butterfly bushes that reseed invasively. Light pruning in autumn reduces seed dispersal and gives the plant better stability for overwintering. Pruning is better in late winter or early spring, only if you live in a colder growing zone unless your shrub is overgrown.
Hard Pruning in Late Winter or Early Spring
While light pruning makes your plant neater, hard pruning makes it healthy and strong. It is done annually at the beginning of the growing season, like late winter or early spring, regardless of the climate. In hard pruning, you cut the maximum part of the plant. You remove dead or diseased branches to promote the growth of sturdier, well-branched stems and branches.
Before you cut the stems off, locate the buds. If the buds are alternating, make a slanted cut slightly above and away from the bud. But if the buds are on opposite sides, make a straight cut above the buds.
When Not To Prune Butterfly Bush
As tempting as it might be, there are certain times when you should avoid pruning at all costs because it will make your butterfly bush vulnerable to various climatic or environmental stresses.
Summer
A butterfly bush grows actively in the summer. Therefore, you should avoid pruning them at that time of the year. Trimming the bush during their growing season will stress them, limit their energy, and reduce buds and flower production.
Fall
A general rule in pruning plants is to avoid it during fall unless you are removing dead, damaged, or diseased wood to prevent contamination. Plants enter dormancy in early fall to protect themselves from winter.
If you prune in the fall, you will stimulate new growth. These new growths will not have time to develop, nor will the plant heal before the temperature drops. As a result, your plant might be susceptible to diseases.
Common Butterfly Bush Pruning Mistakes To Avoid
Many people make some common mistakes when pruning a butterfly bush. We have listed some below to ensure you are not one of them.
The tools you use can affect the health of your plants. Dull pruners or loopers make a clean single-cut difficult, resulting in raggedly cut branches. These cuts damage the plant tissues and make them vulnerable to pests and diseases.
The risk of pests and diseases increases with dirty tools that harbor bacteria and pathogens. Additionally, dull pruners require more force, making the pruning process more labor-intensive.
Over Pruning
Many people are so engrossed in cutting and trimming that they forget to take a step back and look at how much they have trimmed. As a result, they end up over-pruning their bush. Over-pruning can expose the bush to too much sun and damage the plant. The damage will be irreparable if it is deep within the plant.
An over-pruned butterfly bush might also die from stress in the long run. The stress arises from the plant's inability to heal and recover from the wounds caused by pruning. Therefore, it is better to make a few minor cuts.
Using The Same Pruning Techniques
A butterfly bush belongs to the Buddleja or Buddleia genus and has over 140 species. The dwarf varieties are 2 feet, while the larger ones grow up to 10 feet. As a result, different butterfly bush species have different growth patterns, meaning they need to be cared for accordingly.
Therefore, using the same pruning techniques on all the butterfly bush species may not work. Age also plays a part in pruning your butterfly bush. Older butterfly bushes might require more frequent pruning because of their vigorous growth.
Leaving Deadheads As Is
Most people ignore deadheads or faded flowers during pruning, thinking they will die and fall off, which is true. However, before that happens, the plant will direct all its energy into healing the faded flowers before giving up.
Faded flowers will not revive and die eventually. So, instead of wasting time and the plant’s energy, it is better to remove them to promote healthy new blossoms.
Most plants, including butterfly bush, are susceptible to pests and diseases even with proper care. These diseases cause yellow or brown leaves, spotting, and white coatings.
The disease will spread to the entire plant if the leaves are not removed on time. You should always look out for such diseased leaves and protect your plant before it is too late.
Neglecting Suckers
Many people only remove the flowers, stems, branches, and leaves during pruning and forget about the suckers. Suckers are great for propagating a new plant but not so great for everything else.
Suckers affect the health of your plant because they use up energy and resources to grow new plants. They also inhibit the production of buds and flowers. Therefore, remember to remove all the suckers from your bush. This removal will redirect the plants' energy and nutrients to produce healthier stems and vibrant flowers.
Pruning For Wrong Reasons
A butterfly bush that is too big, especially if there is limited space, might require constant trimming to maintain its size. However, avoid getting carried away with pruning for size, and remember that the other purpose of pruning is to keep your plant healthy.
Strike a balance between maintaining your plant's shape or size and keeping your plant healthy by not pruning sometimes.
How you prune your butterfly bush will determine its growth, health, and blossoms. You should only cut the branches and stems if you can confidently make a clean single cut.
Below are some tips that might help you while pruning your butterfly bush.
Sharp Tools: Before you cut your plant, ensure your tools are sharp. Sharp pruners can slice through plastic bottles, rubbers, and paper. You can also test the pruners on any unnecessary plant stem.
Gloves: Although butterfly bush does not have thorns, you should wear gloves to avoid prickly plant materials from scratching your fingers and hands. Also, opt for gloves that provide a good grip for better control of your pruning shears.
Safety Goggles: You should also protect your eyes with safety goggles. Plant debris might fly and injure your eyes as you cut away the plant parts. Some safety goggles improve your sight in bright sunlight.
Stable Footing: As you prune away, watch where you are moving and keep a firm footing to lower the risk of falling and injuring yourself. If you are using a ladder, ensure it is stable or ask someone else to stabilize it for added precaution.
Additional Tips For Healthy Butterfly Bush
You now know everything about pruning this pink flowering shrub to keep it healthy but do not be mistaken. Pruning is just a fraction of the work that needs completion to encourage flowers and sturdy branches and stems.
Soil Drainage and pH
The very essence of your butterfly bush vitality is a well-draining soil. Failure to maintain such soil quality leads to root rot which is a death warrant in horticulture. So, test to see if your plant’s soil drains well.
Water your butterfly bush and observe how fast or slowly the water is absorbed. If the water drains in 5 to 10 minutes, you have nothing to worry about but if the water remains even after 30 minutes, you need to get to work.
It will also be important to consider the acidity of the planting medium in which your butterfly bush is growing when the plant shows signs of stunted growth. Butterfly bush prefers growing in soils with pH ranging from 5.5-8.5. If the soil pH is unknown, it is advisable to measure the soil pH levels with a soil test kit.
The watering schedule for your butterfly bush is crucial in relation to the drainage of the soil. Consequently, your plant soil could be perpetually wet, or not very porous because you may be giving your plant too much water. You should follow some procedures to avoid this mistake.
If your butterfly bush is planted in average garden soil, you do not have to water it every day because it will cause soggy soil conditions, which lead to root rot and other plant diseases.
Do note that deep soaking less often is better than watering a little daily. During monsoon season, you can reduce watering your plant as rainfall is enough to keep the root ball and the soil moist. You can also reduce watering during winter because the plant is dormant.
The only time you should water frequently is during a prolonged summer drought. If the soil surface feels dry and crackly, your plant is dehydrated and needs water. For best results, ½ inch of water from rain or irrigation should suffice.
Fertilizing
Before going to the shops to purchase a fertilizer of your shrub's liking, you need to establish whether it requires one. Every plant needs nourishment for growth, but the butterfly bush can easily do without extra food. The shrubs develop dense and healthy structures in all well-drained soils.
But this condition only holds true if you have planted your butterfly bush in quality soil. Whether the plant thickens and expands with good health and reaches its optimum potential depends on the soil. In this case, one may use any fertilizer like organic compost.
Pest And Disease Management
Your butterfly bush is rarely affected by pests and diseases. However, this does not mean they are never affected by pests and diseases. They could be bothered by moths, caterpillars, spider mites, and fungal diseases.
You can remove the pests using insecticidal soap or a strong blast of water using a hose. To control diseases, avoid wetting the leaves when you water your plant and remove diseased leaves as soon as you spot them.
Sunlight Requirement
Butterfly bushes are full sun plants, meaning they should get at least six hours of bright sun each day.
Your plants will survive if six hours of sunlight is not possible where you live but do note that you might not get as many flowers, and your plant might not be as strong and healthy. And, during hot summer days, your plant might need a bit of afternoon shade.
