Buddleia globosa - should I prune?

[Jez]

Cut back in at the beginning of April just as you would Lavatera

[hobble]

Cut one third of wood after it has flowered.

[goosey]

Thanks all - I just hope I get some flowers this year to cut back after .

[Wightman]

Originally Posted by hobble

Cut one third of wood after it has flowered.

Agreed

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Susie

Sorry to hijack the thread but my query is, sort of, connected. I have heard that buddleia globosa can be disappointing but that the yellow buddleias, weyeriana - sungold or honeycombe - or the mixed colour - bicolour - are better. Does anyone else have one of the above and how do they compare to globosa?

I had a Buddleja x weyeriana + it was attractive to bees + hoverflies but don't remember seeing any butterflies on it + I do get plenty of butterflies in my garden most years.

[Kayleigh]

Just looked in my gardening book. It said trim lightly after flowering..It just says what most others have said..

[columbus]

Originally Posted by goosey

Autumn 2006 I bought a Buddleia Globosa, which flowered, albeit very disappointingly (4 flowers) summer 2007. Now it looks woody and leggy though it has some new growth coming on the stems – it actually resembles palm trees. BTW it is in a pot and is about 2 foot tall.
I didn’t prune it last year as I read, with a Globosa - a slow growing plant it should not be cut back hard like a Davidii only cut away dead wood or to thin out. Now I have seen contrasting advice which says cut back hard! What shall I do?
Thanks

Ten years ago I moved to a badly neglected garden, and the budd glob was about 18' high and sadly neglected. In the following March I took a chainsaw to it and reduced it to a stump about 3' high, and, with all the offshoots, about the same width.Since then I have pruned back roughly the same every year, and in Oct/Nov I cut back about 50% of the year's growth to reduce wind damage. The shrub puts on about 6'/8' of new growth every year and I get masses of blossom. It does not attract butterflies like the Davidii varieties, but some, and the bees love it.

[Susie]

It probably doesn't attract as many butterflies as a buddleia davidii as it flowers so much earlier in the year which is at a time when there just aren't that many garden butterflies about.

To answer my own question above regarding the weyeriana, yes they are attractive to butterflies and the commas in particularly seem to enjoy them.