how&when do you prune a butterfly bush?

Answer 1

I always prune my mother's back to about a foot in the late fall. The bush grows to 7-8' tall in the spring. (You could prune shorter but some idiot will run over it with the mower)

Answer 2

These large shrubs often give gardeners fits about pruning. The important thing to remember is that these are tough plants. There is almost nothing wrong you can do. You can prune anytime. If you prune hard during the growing season the worst that can happen is you will cut off your flowers for a while. But, they grow fast and you have them again soon. The normal life cycle of this bush is to go dormant in zones 5 and 6. At this point the canes above ground are dead. They can then be pruned to the ground. This is usually sometime after frost. If you are in a marginal zone 5 area, it is a good idea to apply a three to six inch layer of mulch covering the crown. In zones 8 and up, the bush will remain evergreen and can be pruned to the ground or in any configuration that suits your garden.

Answer 3

There a two ways to prune a butterfly bush. one way is to clip off the dead flower heads and the other is to cut it down in the fall. Cutting you bush back in the fall promotes and bigger and fuller bush for next year. Here is a site all about butterfly bushes.
http://www.yardener.com/CaringForButterflyBush.html

Answer 4

DONT prune it, please dont, ive learned the hard way!! they dont come back as pretty AT ALL! they actually get into a tall "tree" and can be pruned to have a single stalk, and yes we have several at our house, and they are now about 4-5ft tall (i think still recovering from the last pruning)

Answer 5

pruning group 6 for most buddleia or "butterfly bushes," those that flower in mid- or late summer to autumn. for that species you cut back to low permanent framework annually as buds begin to swell in early spring. for those that bloom in spring or early summer you cut back flowered shoots to strong buds or young lower or basal growth. on established plants, cut back about one third to one fifth old shoots to the base, to promote replacemnt growth. always cut out crossing branches, favoring the branches which grow outward, cutting branches which grow across or inward. p.s. if you think the word "pruning" means "clueless hacking" like the first commentor on this list, then by all means, don't touch it.