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Rejuvenating Leggy Butterfly Bush with Hard Pruning

Butterfly bush (Buddleia) with bare lower stems: most varieties bloom on new wood. Hard prune to 18-24" in early spring. Trellis-trained types can stay longer.

Consult pruning book (buy at nursery). Local garden center identifies variety and demonstrates technique. Annual hard pruning maintains dense, floriferous habit.

If completely dead at base: may be root issue. Check drainage. Replace if no regrowth after pruning.

Landscaping and Design: New Butterfly Bush Devoured? Check for Pests and Fertilizer Timing; Pruning Your Summer-Blooming Hydrangea (Snowball Bush): Timing and Technique; Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Pruning: Timing Is Everything; When and How to Prune Butterfly Bushes for Optimal Blooms; Snowball Viburnum Never Blooms: Pruning Time and Fertilizer; Diagnosing Butterfly Bush Decline: Mites vs. Transplant Shock; Spider Mites on Butterfly Bush: Water, Not Insecticide, Is the Cure; Butterfly Bush Pruning: Dormant Season Guide for Maximum Blooms; Pruning Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Safely; Managing Butterfly Bush Size: Pruning Limits and Alternatives

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