I bought this Butterfly Bush last year. Plopped it in the garden and promptly forgot about it.
Now it is over 6 ft all and overtaking the sidewalk.
Can they be trimmed back and if so do they come back with a vengeance the next year?
I thought it would stay a little plant as it was being planted in a semi shady place. HA It's huge.
Also, I live in VA. Will my coleus survive the winter here? They too went nuts this summer. Do I need toprune them back?
Thanks for your help.
OMGosh!! Ladies!!! He's not even home this week. Not doing anything with that bush. LOL
Thanks for the laugh though.
I will prune the sucker tonight before the rain comes. THank you so much.
Well, time to get my mind out of the gutter.
I googled and found this: http://www.gardenguides.com/625-butterfly-bush-garden-bas...
LOL @ Jen F. I guess my mind is in the gutter with hers. Sad to say, but this question was not what I was expecting either! LOL
Hope you get your answer. I don't know anything about butterfly bushes. :)
Yes, butterfly bushes can be cut back hard at any time. You won't get much new growth this late in the summer, but it won't hurt the bush to shape it and remove the branches that are crowding the sidewalk. You can also deadhead old blooms, removing the bloomed out tips of each branch, for better overall appearance.
I cut mine to just a few main buds on lower branches every spring, and they all grow into a whole new bush over just a couple of months.
You can also stick some of the nicer pruned branches into moist ground early in the spring. Many of them will take root, and you'll have as many as you want. Some other shrubs can also be multiplied this way. I've grown healthy new specimens of many kinds of junipers, Russian sage, euonymus, and bluebeard by just sticking cuttings in the ground.
