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New England Gardening

How to prune the Ms. Ruby Butterfly Bush?

11 years ago

I have a proven winners Ms. Ruby Butterfly Bush and I planted it last spring and it has done very well. I was getting ready to prune it and wondered if anyone has experience with the Ms. Ruby?

The Proven Winner's site says this: "Prune in late winter or early spring. In Northern states, this plant will die back to the ground though the roots are hardy."

So the question I have is should I cut it back to the ground or leave some of the main branches in tact?

Thanks

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Comments (3)

girlcat36
11 years ago
I have done both! Cutting it all the way back keeps it at a more reasonable size. One year I pruned one to look like a bonsai. That was pretty neat.
It seems that you can't kill the things, so don't be afraid to give it a hard prune.

Teresa
Thirwell
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks girlcat! I'll be cutting it back this week as soon as the snow clears out.
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Tony G
11 years ago
Hi, I'm in Minnesota but I grow Miss Ruby also. I pruned down to about 6 inches and it came back great. Hopefully it survived another winter! Good luck with yours, Tony

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