They are best when cut back every year. As long as you don't need a hedge for 365 days, you're good.

Dan

I hope no one throws rocks at me, but the maintenance to keep one looking good must be more then most homeowners care to do. I say this because 99% of the ones I see around town look good for the first year, maybe the 2nd year, and then just look like a jumbled jangle of old sticks and flowers after that. My neighbor gave me the hoo hah when I mentioned this to him when he first planted one. By year 5, it was pulled & pitched. How about a Crape Myrtle instead?

Maryl, I already have two crapes along that fence. I was considering the
buddleia because they are inexpensive and thought they could form a
continuous hedge.

they are inexpensive and thought they could form a
continuous hedge.

As long as you thought you can stand their ugliness after a couple of years not pruning them, go for it.

Dan

i agree with dan ...

short lived... high maintenance plants that will not cooperate in making any kind of screen when applied as a hedge ...

but if they will make you happy.. knock yourself out...

ken

Sounds like there is not a lot of love for Butterfly Bushes here. I planted 4 white ones directly behind my house when I first moved in 10 years ago. I cut them back to about 8-10 inches from the ground in the late fall and they come back looking good every year. That may be too much work for you, depending on how many of them you plan on using. I personally don't mind the effort because I love watching the butterflies they attract. (BTW, they have survived temperatures as low as -24 F (perhaps because they are in a protected location behind the house).

Mariana, I have already planted my Butterfly (Buddleja) hedge. I know they are less than formal, but that is what I wanted because my other hedges are VERY formal (boxwood, holly, privet, etc.) I also don't mind doing an annual pruning and I like its silver-gray leaves. Also, deer do not EAT them! Happy gardening!

I don't consider Buddleia a hedge plant, it is very "airy" in texture, even with pruning to the the ground every year as I do with mine. I like to intermix it with shrub roses and cannas. I have no reservations whacking back offending branches when they try to take over. Try Buddleia 'Black Knight' with a tall rugosa rose like 'Hansa' and a purple-leafed orange flowered canna like 'Wyoming' - a nice trio in a corner of my garden.

I think your hedge will be beautiful, have fun with combinations and you will be rewarded!

Linrose, thank you for your suggestions. There's a six foot fence behind them so I really don't need them for the privacy. I wanted them more for the flowers and their relative deer resistance. It seems that a lot of my favorite flowering plants are favorites for deer (hydrangea, azaleas, roses, camellias, hibiscus (tropical and hardy). So far, I have learned to landscape around the deer. I know that crape myrtles and forsythia (don't really like the latter) are deer resistant and do have them in the immediate vicinity. I tend to move things around a lot (depending on how the plant does in its locale). Also expect the area to be getting increasingly shaded in the future due to recent tree plantings.

I'm thinking of making a buddleia hedge and came across this thread. Would love to know how njoasis' hedge turned out or comments from anyone else who has one. Thanks in advance.

As well as making an ugly bush after a few years if not cut to the base periodically, many of them have flowers which do not die gracefully. White ones especially can end up covered in blooms which have turned brown but refuse to drop. Deadheading is called for but is massively labour intensive.

And Buddleias have become an invasive species in many parts of the country. I can think of so many more flowering deciduous shrubs that would make much more attractive and far less troublesome hedging subjects.

Here are a few of them, behind the magnolias. I have them interspersed among a long row of mags. Maybe 8-12 feet currently.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:268543}}

NJ,
That is absolutely beautiful!
I love butterfly bush too.
They make a fine hedge for you and I love your magnolia.
I planted a couple butterfly bushes on my front
lawn down by the street and I never cut them down.
They are evergreen here, so I only have to cut the dead
wood out in the spring.
Good work!

Buddleia is evergreen here too (and deerproof it seems btw).

I do cut them down somewhat in the spring and again in August--especially any lower growth. Not sure how tall they get but don't really prune for that. I do prune growth that grows into the Magnolias. Not maintenance free but less time consuming than rose bushes.

There are several sterile varieties available now. If you get those, you wouldn't have to worry so much about trying to keep them deadheaded. Look for the "Flutterby" series. There are different colors and mature sizes. I believe Miss Molly and Miss Ruby are considered non-invasive also.
It's worth the extra price especially since you said you wanted to keep the weeds down.
I think Home Depot carries some of the Flutterby series butterfly bushes.
They need sun to bloom well and if you plant them too close together, they'll be shading each other, so I would keep them barely touching. How close depends on which cultivar you get.