Question
I have a butterfly bush that is several years old. It has been pruned a couple times over the past years, but now it only gets leaves on the upper branches. The underneath of it seems to be dead. Is this possible and is there anything I can do rather than pulling it out? Thank you for your time.

Answer
always consult a pruning book to see what plants need in the way of pruning for best flowering production. you need to know what variety budlea it is? most should be pruned to w/in 18"-24" of the ground in early spring. they flower best on new wood. those varieties trained on a trellis can be left longer
get to a local garden center/nursery and quiz them on a solution to your problem.  buy a pruning book from them and they should be more than happy to help you
good luck
rick
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