How to cut a Buddleja in autumn and spring?

I think you are panicing, it looks to me as if it will flower albeit a bit later.You can them off a bit in the autumn and then hard in the spring they are very tough and reliable don't worry.

Thanks - you are very reassuring! Tell you later if it does flower. Usually, I don't prune things hard enough, this year I pruned this very hard as well as a cotinus which had obviously not been pruned at all for years. It has some new growth which looks O.K. to me. It's showing in one of my photos in the back of the border. I didn't have to worry about flowers on that!

My mother in law had an 8' Weigela in her small courtyard garden. Too big for the space, so after flowering I 'pruned' it for her! The largest stem was 6" in diameter and this was cut down to ground level. After a week the new shoots appeared on it, and it's shooting away quite happily

oops pressed the wrong button!! Just shows that pruning is good for the plants

Hiya You've done nothing wrong. Buddleia are usually hard cut back, and I do mean hard, in February as the flowers are formed on new wood. Your plant will flower when it is supposed to - late summer, when it provides much needed nectar for butterflies

thanks Saina - I guess I did panic a bit because I had cut it further back than I normally do! I think there are some flower buds forming at the moment!

It's almost impossible to kill them with pruning! No matter how hard you prune them back they will always come back, just the flowering maybe put back by a couple of weeks at most.

Here they have been in flower for most of July. They are also prolific selfseeders & will spring up in the most unexpected & surprising of places. They are very commonly seen alongside railway tracks.

Yes, you're right, Balcony! I do prune hard, now.

I didn't realise till this moment that your question was posted in 2007!!!!

(Embarrassed burning red cheeks!)

Oh, please don't be embarrassed! How interesting - that must have been not long after I joined, I think - the site was sooooo different then!

i just rescued one from a lamp post lol, as seen in my blog, so ive cut back hard and potted and fed so hoping it will be ok