Butterfly bush
Buddleja davidii
An ornamental plant, planted at any time of year.
In September: nothing to do. It can be planted now.
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Butterfly bush, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant a pot-grown butterfly bush. | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Cut the butterfly bush back hard. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Mulch the butterfly bush. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Deadhead the butterfly bush. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Planting
Plant a pot-grown butterfly bush at any time of year, 1.5 to 2m apart. Strong sources: RHS and Champion Plants.
Cut the butterfly bush back hard
Gardeners call this early-spring hard pruning of Buddleja davidii.
Cut the thick woody stems to about 30cm above the ground, just above a bud where possible. From Gardeners’ World.
Usually March to April. Strong source: RHS.
Mulch the butterfly bush
Spread a 5cm layer of well-rotted manure or garden compost to hold in moisture. From RHS.
Usually March. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
Deadhead the butterfly bush
Usually June to August. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Butterfly bush” comes from.