How to renew a buddleia?

[AnnaDyne]

Several years ago, we planted a single buddleia, which has thrived.
In fact, it has thrown up numerous other buddleia, which have also thrived.
In fact, they have all thrived so well that they could almost be classed as weeds in that particular border!!

Two Problems:
Firstly. they grow under the shadow of an Elm tree and are horribly woody and stretch out in all directions trying to get the light, presumably.
Secondly, in order to try to fight our way through them (I kid you not), we have frequently chopped back whole branches, meaning that the bases comprise numerous old stems as well as the ones we have allowed to grow.

Therefore, I am contemplating digging them out completely, right to the roots, but want to end up with "something" so that I can aim for a single decent specimen next year or in a few years time.
I don't want to be without one as I love the butterflies we see.

What should I do?
Is it likely that even wih hard digging, I'll leave enough seeds or roots there to start afresh and try to control whatever breaks through?
Otherwise, do I take a cutting or try to collect some seeds?
If so, How???

Thanks in advance for any advice.:)

[Miranda]

Hello Anna, Buddlejas do get a bit rampant and they can do it very quickly, as you've found. If it was me, I'd choose the best specimen - the one with the best light and space - and dig the others up. The roots can be a job to get out, mind.

At the end of this year, cut off all the old flowering heads so that seeds don't drop, then, come about February/March time, cut the plant back hard, down to about 18 inches. By the end of summer it will be about seven feet tall again. Don't worry about cutting it back hard, it will grow again.

If you do this every year, you'll find that the plant stays more compact and that the flowers are lower down, so you'll get a better view of the butterflies.

[AnnaDyne]

Thanks, Miranda, it sounds as though I'm going to have to be patient and deal with it later rather than sooner! I shall feel very nervous about cutting something back at a time when I thought plants did their main growing, or is that the point?

I'll print this page out and put it in my "to do" folder ready to refer to next year. :)

By the way, having been inspired by Paul's comment in my other thread, I wonder if any of my friends would appreciate a plant. Do you know how I should go about trying to generate some seedlings?

[Miranda]

It is nerve-wracking but the plant will grow again, Anna. Buddlejas flower on new wood and as the plant won't start to grow till spring, it will have put out this new wood come flowering time. They really are very vigorous and can easily grow 2m a year.

Thank you, but I'll pass on the offer of a seedling, as we've had a similar Buddleja issue here! They pop up all over the place.

If your plant is a named variety, then any seedlings wouldn't necessarily come true to type as they'd have cross pollinated with other Buddlejas nearby, which will mix their genes up. If you want to make more plants from the one you have, you can take cuttings of new wood in summer. They root very easily.

[Paul Narramore]

"Cut back to about 18"?" With some old buddleias, the old wood would be more than this, so I would prune to the lowest set of leaves rather than to a specific length of stem. Yes, they do grow pretty easily from cuttings. I have started to plant shrubs on a grass verge opposite our house - it's a bit of 'No Mans Land' - and already has a Viburnam, an Acer negundo and a pair of Buddleias I grew as cuttings. The ground is exceedingly poor and stony, but I just dig a sizeable hole and plants them. A drenching with water and off they go.

[AnnaDyne]

Planting the abandoned verges, what a lovely idea!
At the moment I'll be happy if I can just make the front of my own house look civilised. ;)