Buddleia - need to cut it back but I gather it's the wrong time of year!

[ThreadExterminator]

Just realised the Buddleia is nearly up to our upstairs windows and looks a bit precarious in this wind.

I am a novice gardener so looked up online how to prune a Buddleia and I see it has to be done in the Spring. It's July!

What terrible thing will happen if I cut it back now? And how low should I go?

Can I use a saw to do it?!

It's not ideal but it'll survive, they are tough as old boots

They are rough. You can cut it back now. It jsut might not flower for a bit. Get it to a height you are happy with now. In March give it a really aggressive cut back, it will look lovely again next summer.

Yes for the thick parts, you use a saw.

It will be fine. It will flower next year because it flowers on the new season’s growth. That’s why it’s a later flower, it has to make the growth first.

It'll be fine in the wind. It's pretty much exactly what they originally evolved to cope with - that's why they've got long, wavy growth, are tough as old boots, can grow on a random roof, wall or crack in the pavement and are regarded as invasive.

Leave it until it's flowered for wildlife and chop back anything you like after that (and chop as much of it as possible, just leaving a few places for new growth) - the odds of it actually dying are absolutely minimal.

Thanks for all your replies.

It's in full flower at the moment but probably getting towards the end of it. Once the butterflies/bees are showing less interest in it I'll cut it down.

My neighbour absolutely hates it so I need to take a bit of care not to annoy them with it so definitely can't leave it as it is for too long.

I cut mine back a few months ago and it was doing so well but my neighbour cut it again about a week ago. It's right on the border between our houses so I don't know who technically "owns" it but I think they may have been annoyed by its height.

Anyway, I can see new bits sprouting already,and one branch that they didn't cut has flowered. I kill every plant I ever have contact with, so the fact that mine had been cut twice and is still alive and sprouting is a good sign that evening you trim yours, it'll be fine and healthy.

Your neighbours may be concerned that buddleia seeds itself everywhere especially where it's not wanted. I can see a small one from here, growing in a neighbour's gutter. Cut it as the flowers are dying off so it doesn't have a chance to set seed and spread about.

The mauve one seems to do that, but I've got a purple one which behaves itself and has not yet attempted world domination.

Your neighbours are allowed to cut back anything overhanging the boundary but absolutely not allowed to cut down anything your side

They are not tough in my garden, they hate the clay soil- usually die after about 5 years. Luckily new ones pop up. (I have a butterfly mad husband so we can't be without buddleia.)

I chop bits off mine all the time. There's one in the border next to our gate and keeps growing out over the gate. I chop branches off and within weeks it's sprouted new ones. It's certainly not adversely affected it by pruning it in the summer.

I tried really hard to kill one once and pruned it right back all the time. The thing would not die! Don't worry they are tough as old boots!

Ours grows over the washing line, I just hack bits off when I need too. It's absolutely fine.

Next year cut it back in May - this will be before it flowers and will feel terrible but it will regrow and flower later that summer

Buddleia are very forgiving, you can cut them back after the butterflies have fished drinking the nectar!

If you dead head it there will be a smaller second flowering in a few months.
DH is completely digging out one of mine because it’s taken over half the small lawn (it was a self seeded plant about 10 years ago) despite radical pruning twice a year 🙄.
I chop it off to knee high and it’s at least 15’ tall, the weekend storms have flattened half of it. I still have 2 more so the butterflies etc won’t be missing out.

I've dug out many a buddleia in my time, I hate them.

If I could have killed them by a summer pruning it would have saved me hours of backbreaking work.

I cut some branches off mine yesterday as it was going over the path and I kept getting attacked by it. They are pretty indestructible plants tbh