Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 7 Mar 2020 16:02:46 +0000, Jenny M Benson
wrote:

I looked on the internet for advice about pruning buddleia because I
thought a family member had not pruned hers hard enough - she had left
one main stem about 3' high and thinner stems abhout 1'-2'. I said I
*thought* she should take all stems back to the lowest new sprouting and
she said there hadn't been any when she pruned, but there is now.

However, this is what I read at the first site to come up:

"...cut all of the branches back to the ground in early spring ..." then
"...stems should be at least a foot tall. Stop pruning once your stems
are about a foot in length..."

Unless there is a crucial difference between a "stem" and a "branch"
this seems to be totally contradictory, but what, then, is the
difference? If a "piece of growth" is cut back to the ground where is
there a stem which is to be left at a foot long?

Please can someone yay or nay to cutting all the existing "lengths of
wood" back to the lowest buds.

In my experience it doesn't matter very much. Just cut it back to a
couple of feet, give or take a foot, and it will be fine. I don't
think you need to be very particular with buddleia. I certainly wasn't
when I grew them and they regrew and flowered OK.

Exactly! They are indestructible.

--
Chris Green
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