Just Getting Started
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Location: Cleveland

Do Butterfly Bushes need to be Dead Headed?

I planted 6 Butterfly Bushes in a raised garden this year and they did fantastic. They grew tremendously but now they have a lot of dead flower stems. Should I cut those back before the heavy frost occurs soon? Should I cut the entire bush back?

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Yes and yes. It will keep blooming more if you deadhead it as well as keeping it from going to seed.

Yes they usually suggest, especially in climates like yours to cut the whole plant back. You don't want to do this until the plant is fully dormant as until then it is still feeding the roots for next year. They usually say at the end of winter, but I think it could be any time after it is dormant. The thing about cutting it at the end of winter is you will know which stems were winter killed and which ones are live. The winter killed ones you can cut off close to the ground. Otherwise just cut the whole plant off to a few inches above the ground with the cuts coming just above a branch juncture at about that height.

This will keep your bush more compact and looking like a shrub, instead of looking like a bunch of really long stems....



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