"GR" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this gardening game, so please be gentle! =;-)

We have a buddleia in our back garden that's reached about 10 feet
tall, but has never been as thickly bushy or produced as many flowers
as we'd like. We want it to be thickly bushy to act as a screening
plant, but we want lots of flowers to attract butterflies (and to look
pretty, I guess!)

From what I've read, buddleias appreciate being cut back severely in
spring, but my questions are...

If I cut it back to the height suggested - it looks like about a foot
off the soil surface in the photos - how long will we have to wait
before it gets back up to a decent screening height of about 6 or 7
feet?

And during the flowering season, what should I do with the dead
flowerheads - should they be cut off as soon as they die, or should
they be left to their own devices?

All advice gratefully received!

The above are good replies, but they assume b davidii, if its
alternifolia or globosa then the pruning is different as they flower on
the previous years growth.

Bell

In article ,
Annabel wrote:
"GR" wrote in message
.. .
I'm new to this gardening game, so please be gentle! =;-)

We have a buddleia in our back garden that's reached about 10 feet
tall, but has never been as thickly bushy or produced as many flowers
as we'd like. We want it to be thickly bushy to act as a screening
plant, but we want lots of flowers to attract butterflies (and to look
pretty, I guess!)

From what I've read, buddleias appreciate being cut back severely in
spring, but my questions are...

If I cut it back to the height suggested - it looks like about a foot
off the soil surface in the photos - how long will we have to wait
before it gets back up to a decent screening height of about 6 or 7
feet?

And during the flowering season, what should I do with the dead
flowerheads - should they be cut off as soon as they die, or should
they be left to their own devices?

The above are good replies, but they assume b davidii, if its
alternifolia or globosa then the pruning is different as they flower on
the previous years growth.

A good point. I can't remember if anyone has posted, but you don't
HAVE to cut even B. davidii back hard. I want mine for screening,
so I dead head sometime after flowering (when I get around to it,
because it isn't important), and cut back to a couple of strongly
shooting nodes on strong branches in spring.

Cutting back to 1' off the ground is more for people who DON'T want
B. davidii to get too big :-)

If a plant has got straggly and to 10' tall, I would compromise and
cut back to about 3', along the lines I suggest. But, if it is not
flowering, that sounds more like a lack of sun or the soil not
draining well enough. Mere lack of pruning shouldn't stop it
flowering - unless it has got REALLY out of hand.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Annabel wrote:
"GR" wrote in message
.. .
I'm new to this gardening game, so please be gentle! =;-)

We have a buddleia in our back garden that's reached about 10 feet
tall, but has never been as thickly bushy or produced as many
flowers
as we'd like. We want it to be thickly bushy to act as a screening
plant, but we want lots of flowers to attract butterflies (and to
look
pretty, I guess!)

From what I've read, buddleias appreciate being cut back severely
in
spring, but my questions are...

If I cut it back to the height suggested - it looks like about a
foot
off the soil surface in the photos - how long will we have to wait
before it gets back up to a decent screening height of about 6 or 7
feet?

And during the flowering season, what should I do with the dead
flowerheads - should they be cut off as soon as they die, or should
they be left to their own devices?

The above are good replies, but they assume b davidii, if its
alternifolia or globosa then the pruning is different as they flower
on
the previous years growth.

A good point. I can't remember if anyone has posted, but you don't
HAVE to cut even B. davidii back hard. I want mine for screening,
so I dead head sometime after flowering (when I get around to it,
because it isn't important), and cut back to a couple of strongly
shooting nodes on strong branches in spring.

Cutting back to 1' off the ground is more for people who DON'T want
B. davidii to get too big :-)

If a plant has got straggly and to 10' tall, I would compromise and
cut back to about 3', along the lines I suggest. But, if it is not
flowering, that sounds more like a lack of sun or the soil not
draining well enough. Mere lack of pruning shouldn't stop it
flowering - unless it has got REALLY out of hand.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren,

I don't cut mine back to stools I take off the top 2/3rds like many
other shrubs, I prefer them like that..

Bell