Buddleja rescue mission advice

Buddleja are pretty hardy, tough plant, NB, but I think it's probably showing a bit of stress from being moved while in full leaf and growth......it's always better to move shrubs out of the ground to a new site in late Autumn and Winter while container plants can be planted anytime. Obviously, circumstances made you rescue it and move it to a better place, so you did the right thing.
So it's just a bit unhappy about being moved in Summer. The best thing to do is firm the ground around the stem with your boots and water it well for a fortnight or two.
Just to give you an idea how hardy Buddlejas are.........some years ago I cut some branches from my Buddleja to use as Pea sticks and left them over the Winter stacked by the side of the House. I forgot about them for nearly two years and then, remembering them, stuck them in the ground as supports for some lanky plants. When, in the Autumn, I went to pull them out of the soil I found they had rooted and were starting to show leaves!!

 

To be honest, Anthony, I think to "cut it down" right now is not a good idea as the plant is already stressed. I would leave it for now and then lightly prune it in late Autumn. Leaf loss is not going to harm it at the moment and the plant is best left to it's own devises until it has got over being moved.

 

Hi Anthony, no, your thinking is right if, say, the Buddleja had been in the ground for some time and suddenly showed problems but this particular one has been moved only recently and to subject it to a cut back might just stress it even more.

 

Yep, keep us updated, NB. Just an add on to the testimony of how hardy and adaptable is.....if you've ever been to an old abandoned industrial estate or factory you'll more than likely see Buddlejas growing in the eaves, roofs, broken brickwork, etc........they're great survivors!!

 

Again I would disagree about cutting it back, as it would appear that the Buddleja is now recovering from the stress of the move. Right now Buddleja's are in the throes of finishing their flowering and will use their leaves to take on energy ready for next year. As the plant is not fully mature, if I remember correctly, I would leave any pruning until early spring as that it when such pruning encourages new wood.

 

Yep, looks pretty happy to me, NB. Normal pruning of mature Buddleja's is to hard prune them back to, say, 2 or 3 buds on the old wood, but I would think that pruning your young Buddleja will only require taking off the top half next Spring and then normal pruning the next year.