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When & How to Prune Butterfly Bushes: The Ultimate Care Guide Download Article What time of year to prune & what to cut back Reviewed by Ben Barkan
Last Updated: December 5, 2025 Approved
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Pruning Your Butterfly Bush
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This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 92% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 158,152 times.
As the name might suggest, butterflies absolutely love Butterfly Bush for its showy, fragrant, nectar-rich flowers--and so will you! The flowers of this tall bush make a gorgeous addition to any garden. However, to keep these bushes blooming beautifully, you will need to know how to prune them properly. Scroll down to Step 1 to learn how you can properly prune your Butterfly Bush.
Pruning a Butterfly Bush
Prune the Buddleia davidii variety in the early spring and the Buddleia alternifolia in mid-summer. Give Buddleia davidii a hard cut by pruning it 6-12 inches above the ground. After Buddleia alternifolia flowers, prune the bush back by ⅓ of its size.
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Pruning Your Butterfly Bush
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1 Wait for the right time of year to prune. There are two types of butterfly bushes: Buddleia davidii and Buddleia alternifolia.
Buddleia davidii is a deciduous shrub with dark purple flowers that blooms June through September. This butterfly bush is classified as an invasive plant is some parts of the United States. You can check if it's an invasive species in your state by visiting https://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious.
Prune your Buddleia davidii in early spring or late winter. Pruning is best done before new growth starts in the spring. In climates with cold winters, the plant will most likely die back completely.
Buddleia alternifolia (Alternate leaf butterfly bush) is a deciduous shrub with light purple flowers in the spring.
Buddleia alternifolia should be pruned in mid to late summer, right after it has bloomed. This kind of butterfly bush blooms on stems from the previous year, so cutting it to the ground each year is not an option.
2 Look for any dieback. Dieback is caused by harsh winters or disease. In this case, a particularly cold winter could cause dieback in your butterfly bush. When a plant dies back, the tips of the leaves or roots begin to die, slowly leading to a reverse death that ends in the death of the whole plant. Dieback is common in butterfly bushes in colder climates--butterfly bushes often dieback all the way to their roots in very cold winters. However, this does not mean that they cannot be saved--that’s what pruning is for.
Butterfly bushes are late to break dormancy, meaning that you don’t need to check for any winter damage as the plant may still just be dormant.
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3 Prune your butterfly bush. How you prune your butterfly bush will depend on which type of bush you're growing.
If you have a Buddleia davidii, prune it with a hard cut. Because they do often dieback in the winter, this type of butterfly bush can handle intense pruning--and often requires it. Even if your butterfly bush doesn’t dieback during winter, prune 6”-12” above the ground in late winter to ensure proper growth the following spring.
If you have a Buddleia alternifolia, prune your bush back hard to about ⅓ of its size immediately after it flowers in the early summer. Follow the shape of the shrub when pruning.
If your butterfly bush is in the back of a garden up against a fence and you want it to grow tall, cut it back to about two feet so that the plant will produce higher growing (and thus flowering) stems. You will then be able to plant lower growing plants near the butterfly bush while still being able to see the flowers of the butterfly bush.
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Promoting Bloom Growth
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1 Dead-head the spent blooms while the plant is flowering. This means that you should pick or cut the flowers that have died while the bush continues to bloom. Spent blooms will start to turn brown and will look very wilted. Cut the dead blooms back to where they attach to the stem. Doing this will ensure that your bush produce new flower buds longer into the blooming season than they would if the bush was left unattended.
2 Remove spent blooms at the end of the season. At the end of the season, you should dead-head all of the now finished blooms. This will help the plant along when creating buds for the next year. It will also limit the butterfly bush’s chances of self-seeding and thus taking over your entire garden.
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Question What is the difference between a Buddleia davidii and the Buddleia alternifolia butterfly bush? Community Answer There are several differences between the Buddleia davidii and the Buddleia alternifolia. First, they are closely related but not the same exact plant.These plants are two different species. They have the same genus, buddleia but different species, davidii and alternifolia. They have different growth habits, maintenance requirements and aesthetics. Alternifolia grows up to 15’ and has light purple flowers. Davidii grows up to 8’ and has dark purple flowers. Their leaves are different colors and are spaced differently. Davidii has opposite leaves and Alternifolia has an alternate leaf arrangement. They also require different pruning strategies as outlined above. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 15 Helpful 47
Question Is there a cure for a tomato plant fungus I have in my garden? Community Answer Water mixed with about 30% rubbing alcohol works very well against it. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 13
Question How far can I cut a bush back if it was neglected for a long time and has grown too high? Community Answer Depends on what type of bush it is, but a general rule when a shrub was neglected is to not harshly prune it, but to do it gradually over several seasons. If you’re unsure of the type of shrub you have, your best bet is to not trim more than a third of its total size. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 1 Helpful 11
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Warnings
A Butterfly Bush is an invasive species in parts of the country, so make sure to burn trimming and branches or dispose of them in garbage bags. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
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About This Article
Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Professional Gardener This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This article has been viewed 158,152 times. 116 votes - 92% Co-authors: 11Updated: December 5, 2025 Views: 158,152 Categories: Growing Trees and ShrubsArticle SummaryX
To prune a butterfly bush, start by identifying what kind of butterfly bush you have. If you have a buddleia davidii, which has dark purple flowers, prune it back 6 to 12 inches in early spring or late fall. Alternatively, if you have a buddleia alternifolia, which has light purple flowers, prune it in mid to late summer to about ⅓ its size. You should also pick or cut the flowers that have died while the plant is still flowering, and remove spent blooms at the end of the season. For more tips from our Horticultural reviewer, including how to look for diebacks on your butterfly bush, keep reading!Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Reader Success Stories
Fawn Mcalexander
Mar 22, 2017
"I received a butterfly bush last April when my mother-in-law passed. I didn't know how to prune it. This will help this year, as I plan on planting more bushes. I wanted a beautiful plant with lots of flowers, this should insure that."..." more
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Did this article help you?
Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Professional Gardener Co-authors: 11Updated: December 5, 2025 Views: 158,15292% of readers found this article helpful. 116 votes - 92% Click a star to add your vote
Fawn Mcalexander
Mar 22, 2017
"I received a butterfly bush last April when my mother-in-law passed. I didn't know how to prune it. This will help this year, as I plan on planting more bushes. I wanted a beautiful plant with lots of flowers, this should insure that."..." more
Francie J Latham
Apr 24, 2017
"Other sites were a bit confusing on the when and how to prune a butterfly bush. This site was clear and the pictures were very helpful. Thanks."..." more Rated this article:
J. Medicate
Jun 24, 2016
"I love my butterfly bush. This article has helped. I was afraid that it wound not come back for the summer. Thank you."..." more
Jen Gardiner
Jul 26, 2020
"Thanks! This will help me to get my buddleias tall, so I can save the butterflies that love it from my cat."
Sybilla
Jul 10, 2022
"Now I know how to prune my butterfly bushes and which kind they are. Thank you." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories
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Download Article What time of year to prune & what to cut back Reviewed by Ben Barkan 
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Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Professional Gardener This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This article has been viewed 158,152 times. 116 votes - 92% Co-authors: 11 Updated: December 5, 2025 Views: 158,152 Categories: Growing Trees and Shrubs Article SummaryX
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1 Wait for the right time of year to prune. There are two types of butterfly bushes: Buddleia davidii and Buddleia alternifolia. 
2 Look for any dieback. Dieback is caused by harsh winters or disease. In this case, a particularly cold winter could cause dieback in your butterfly bush. When a plant dies back, the tips of the leaves or roots begin to die, slowly leading to a reverse death that ends in the death of the whole plant. Dieback is common in butterfly bushes in colder climates--butterfly bushes often dieback all the way to their roots in very cold winters. However, this does not mean that they cannot be saved--that’s what pruning is for. 
3 Prune your butterfly bush. How you prune your butterfly bush will depend on which type of bush you're growing. 
1 Dead-head the spent blooms while the plant is flowering. This means that you should pick or cut the flowers that have died while the bush continues to bloom. Spent blooms will start to turn brown and will look very wilted. Cut the dead blooms back to where they attach to the stem. Doing this will ensure that your bush produce new flower buds longer into the blooming season than they would if the bush was left unattended. 
2 Remove spent blooms at the end of the season. At the end of the season, you should dead-head all of the now finished blooms. This will help the plant along when creating buds for the next year. It will also limit the butterfly bush’s chances of self-seeding and thus taking over your entire garden. Advertisement 
Community Answer There are several differences between the Buddleia davidii and the Buddleia alternifolia. First, they are closely related but not the same exact plant.These plants are two different species. They have the same genus, buddleia but different species, davidii and alternifolia. They have different growth habits, maintenance requirements and aesthetics. Alternifolia grows up to 15’ and has light purple flowers. Davidii grows up to 8’ and has dark purple flowers. Their leaves are different colors and are spaced differently. Davidii has opposite leaves and Alternifolia has an alternate leaf arrangement. They also require different pruning strategies as outlined above. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 15 Helpful 47 
Community Answer Water mixed with about 30% rubbing alcohol works very well against it. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 13 