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Best time to prune/move a butterfly bush?

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Posted by dawnstorm 7/MD (My Page) on
Fri, Sep 19, 08 at 20:57

I've got a couple of butterfly bushes that are too big for their respective spaces. When would be a good time to prune 'em and transplant 'em? I normally prune my butterfly bushes during the winter time, but this year I really need to move them.
I live in the MD, in the DC metro area (zone 7).
Thanks.

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RE: Best time to prune/move a butterfly bush?

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I usually transplant or hard prune them when they are dormant.

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RE: Best time to prune/move a butterfly bush?

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Not being in your area, I will toss out my 2 cents worth, but am quite open to being over-ruled - - I would wait until the leaves fell off, watering it well a day or 2 before you plan to move it, then cut it back enough that you can easily move the bush (not as far as you would normally do in the spring, since you might well get more winter-killed branches than you usually do), and shift it to its new location then. In the spring, as soon as you see any new growth, I would cut it back as far as you normally do, taking off any winter-killed branch ends at a minimum.

In the mean-time, I would keep the newly transplanted bush watered (on an as-needs schedule, not on a timed schedule - stick a finger down about 2" into the soil, and water only if it is dry at that depth), mulch well ( no deeper than 4", as widely as possible, and no mulch in the couple of inches next to the trunk) and keep watering through the next year.

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