Flowering shrubs · pruning calendar
When to prune butterfly bushes
Cut butterfly bush back hard in late winter or early spring, before new growth begins. It blooms on new wood. Avoid fall and winter pruning, which increases cold damage.
Butterfly bush pruning by month
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldzones 3–5 | January: Don’t prune now | February: Don’t prune now | March: Wait | April: Prune now | May: Prune now | June: Wait | July: Wait | August: Wait | September: Wait | October: Don’t prune now | November: Don’t prune now | December: Don’t prune now |
| Temperatezones 6–8 | January: Don’t prune now | February: Prune now | March: Prune now | April: Wait | May: Wait | June: Wait | July: Wait | August: Wait | September: Wait | October: Don’t prune now | November: Don’t prune now | December: Don’t prune now |
| Warmzones 9–11 | January: Prune now | February: Prune now | March: Wait | April: Wait | May: Wait | June: Wait | July: Wait | August: Wait | September: Wait | October: Don’t prune now | November: Don’t prune now | December: Don’t prune now |
- Prune now
- Wait
- Don’t prune now
- Don’t prune now Fall and winter cuts increase the risk of cold damage. Leave the stems until late winter.
- Wait Too early in cold gardens. Wait until you see new shoots near the base.
- Prune now It blooms on new growth, so a hard cut now means more flowers this summer.
- Wait Deadhead spent flowers for more blooms. Save the hard cut for late winter.
How to cut: Cut stems back to about 1 foot above the ground. In some states it spreads by seed, so deadhead before seeds form.
Sources
Months are grouped into broad USDA zone bands, so local weather, elevation and the plant itself still have the final say.
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