Knowledgebase

Cold damage to Button Bush #929865

Asked April 28, 2026, 8:08 AM EDT

Hi,

My button bush was damage in the recent cold.  Should I prune the damaged areas?

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Expert Response

We recommend waiting to prune. Sometimes it's only the emerged new foliage that was damaged or killed by a freeze/frost, and the wood in the stem (technically, the tissues just under the bark) is still alive and capable of forming new growth points for replacement foliage. It may take few weeks for such regrowth to appear. By late May or so, if any branches or branch tips don't have any regrowth, then you can assume they're too weakened or dead and can be cut back to live wood.

Miri
Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 28, 2026, 10:33 AM EDT

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