[ace]

My expert book of words tells me to cut back last years growth to within 2 inches of the old wood. That sounds easy enough but I cannot tell the difference as it all looks the same.
Can anyone advice on the best way to do this without hacking the thing to death.

[Sean Ph'lib]

Sorry - I didn't see your post till now. Buddleia is pretty tough - sometimes I prune mine and sometimes I don't - it flowers beautifully one way or the other. You just cut it back to young shoots low down on the bush. You can't really go wrong, but the best time to do it is February. I'd leave it alone this year and prune it back hard next spring.