I bought six mail order Butterfly Bushes. I transplanted them to slightly larger pots and they a now about 8 to 10" tall. I understand they are to be pruned back in the fall but don't know if I should prune these small plants back.
Also, I live in South Florida and want to know if I sshould keep them in pots until spring or should I plant them in the ground.
Thanks for your help!
2006-10-25 03:21:46 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Now is the time to transplant them. Then, once you've put them in the ground, trim them back. Butterfly bushes are some of the first plants to bloom in the spring. It puts a strain on a plant newly transplanted during bloom time. They will get leggy if they aren't prunned regularly, at least yearly. Good luck
2006-10-25 03:33:52 · answer #1 · answered by stretch 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had the same question after I pruned my wife's butterfly bush in the fall a few years ago. After I pruned her's in the fall, it died.
When I asked my brother-in-law about his pruning successes with his butterfly bushes, he told me you are supposed to prune butterfly bushes in the Spring, not in the fall. If I get another one, that's what I will do next time.
I looked it up and the source I listed agrees with my brother-in-law, recommending pruning in March.
2006-10-25 03:37:02 · answer #2 · answered by jwhoofbeat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I did not prune them the first year and then they were leggy and wooden in the spring. the grow like the dickens in the second year so I would go ahead and give them a light trim. Try planting them in the earth after you trim them, now that they have a good root system. Then they really grow fast.
2006-10-25 03:27:11 · answer #3 · answered by copestir 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I live in northeast Georgia. I prune my butterfly bushes back to about 8" after they've finished blooming for the year. They bloom on the new growth every year. It also keeps them in bound because they're fast growers. Mine are in the ground.
2006-10-25 03:30:33 · answer #4 · answered by Bluealt 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they gained't get uncontrolled. they only get to be approximately 3-5 ft tall staring on the selection and stipulations. some get better, yet you could consistently prune them back next year. See what occurs with them this year and enable that be your instruction manual for next year.
2016-11-25 19:59:09 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋