Pruning buddleia on a target site

[Bearo]

I'm planning pruning some buddleia on a target site. It's not too late to do this is it? There's a load of litter on the site which I am trying to get the council to clear first. Somehow I don't think they will do it, so I'll probably have to do that too.

[tampopo]

No, I'd go ahead and prune it. I've been looking at derelict sites and thinking of doing the same.

Go for it.

Take pics now, for the 'before' and 'after' show and tell!!!

[Bearo]

I've got the before picture; horrendous isn't it.

[cannonsblazing]

I'd prune it too, buddleias flower on this year's shoots anyway. So just make sure there are some leaves left near where you cut it.

And mind your fingers if you're planning to clear that rubbish... wear thick gloves!

[Bearo]

I made a start on this today. I picked up 9 bin bags of rubbish. They are still on the site though because the local tip doesn't have a skip for mixed recyclables, although our bin collection does take mixed. I'm not sorting them into glass, cans and plastic, I'll just have to put them with my grey bin collection over several weeks. Or perhaps the council might pick them up.... nah that wont happen.

I also had a go at the buddleias. Got them cut quite a bit. I might have another go tomorrow.

Got another issue that I need advice with. The cuttings from the buddleia could do with shredding, but how can I use a shredder with no power supply near by?

[buddleiabill]

 great work !
 
 Old buddleias can be cut back quite severely - literally down to 3foot tall and they will bounce back no problem .

 you could create piles of cuttings in a corner for bugs  maybe ? the cuttings dry out over a year and become quite brittle .

 

[Bearo]

Old buddleias can be cut back quite severely - literally down to 3foot tall and they will bounce back no problem .

Why 3 foot Bill? I read elsewhere to cut down to 12 inch. I have cut them to about 3 foot but that's more by accident than design.

you could create piles of cuttings in a corner for bugs  maybe ? the cuttings dry out over a year and become quite brittle .

That will do the trick; just got to chop them up a bit.

 

[Bearo]

I've cleaned up quite a bit here now, but unfortunately I can't remember how to cut my photos down to fit this site, to show you the difference.

[Bearo]

This area has become littered again so I will have to have another go. I'm also ready to have a go at another site but I need to prune the buddleia at both sites. All the advice is to prune in Spring, but that's a long way off. Why can't I prune the buddleia now? There is already new growth, which I will be cutting off when pruning time comes.

Help.

[tampopo]

This area has become littered again so I will have to have another go. I'm also ready to have a go at another site but I need to prune the buddleia at both sites. All the advice is to prune in Spring, but that's a long way off. Why can't I prune the buddleia now? There is already new growth, which I will be cutting off when pruning time comes.

Help.

why can't you? I have it invading from next door's abandoned garden. I will be going in the hack it back some day soon.

did someone recommend you not to?

I'd go ahead.....

[Bearo]

why can't you? I have it invading from next door's abandoned garden. I will be going in the hack it back some day soon.

did someone recommend you not to?

I'd go ahead.....

I want the plant to florish. Gardening books advise to wait until Spring before pruning otherwise the frost will kill them.

[cannonsblazing]

Waiting until spring, or at least early March if you're impatient, is better if you want the plant to flourish. By doing so you'll avoid frostbites, just like you said. If you're going to cut back entire stems, cut them 2-3 cm above the ground. If you just want to shorten the branches, cut 0,5 cm above a new bud or shoot, to avoid stumps. That way, the bush will look its best

Good luck! 

[tampopo]

why can't you? I have it invading from next door's abandoned garden. I will be going in the hack it back some day soon.

did someone recommend you not to?

I'd go ahead.....

I want the plant to florish. Gardening books advise to wait until Spring before pruning otherwise the frost will kill them.

well, you've answered your own question there....


It's only 7 weeks away, or less if you get a warm spell. They're very resilient...cut some and salve your desire and cut the rest around easter...

[Bearo]

I don't get why if they are already putting out new growth why can't I prune now and save them wasting the energy in unwanted growth. I'm away for a week now but when I get back I will prune some of them back almost to ground. As buddliea is almost a weed, it won't matter much if I accidentally kill a few.

[tampopo]

yeah, maybe cb could tell you, professionally qualified and all that!

I don't know if I gave my rule of thumb on here before...and that is to cut a third, back a third, cut a third back two thirds and leave one third.

the rotate each year, a different third...

yeah, they ARE almost like a weed, and they self seed voraciously here, up the sides of buildings. I was going to submit photos, but I know, once I start taking photos, I'd end up taking dozens of pics, as B are everywhere.....

[cannonsblazing]

Well, since I haven't seen the actual plant, my guess is there are two reasons for the growth: 1) It's actually growth from last year, and the mild winter stopped the leaves from falling off. 2) The mild winter caused very early growth.

Either way, we could be facing cold weather for a couple of months still (even if it's more unlikely in the UK than here in Sweden), and even though buddleia is a tough a, it's actually not 100% hardy. This means the top shoots could freeze. So, if you cut it now, you'll have a "new" tip (ie the cut would be the tip) that's much closer to the core of the plant, and thus frost could kill the plant off more easily.

Does that answer your question better? 

So, if it doesn't matter if you accidentally kill a few, go ahead. It's an unlikely outcome judging from the weather, but you never know.