When
the butterfly bush goes dormant, during the winter of zones
five and six, is when the most pruning should take place.
During this time pruning butterfly bushes should be done all
the way to the ground. This will usually take place some time
after the first frost, when the above ground parts of the
bush appear dead. In zones eight and up, the butterfly bush
will be evergreen, and can be pruned to the ground at any
time.
Pruning
butterfly bushes in the spring will not kill the bushes. At
worst, all that will happen is that the flowers will not appear
as soon, because they need to re-sprout. Because butterfly
bushes grow so fast, the blooms should reappear within a few
weeks. In colder regions of zone five, a three to six inch
layer of mulch should be applied to the butterfly bush after
winter cutting in order to help protect the shrub for the
coming winter.
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