This winter during all the warmth we experienced, I did a lot of garden cleanup. One thing I did was chop back the butterfly bush in the corner of the kitchen courtyard and the caryopteris in front. I cut both down to about 8 inches of woody framework.
They both turned out well this summer, smaller and fuller and more nicely shaped.
The butterfly bush still wants to be a tall vase shaped thing, not the dense flowery form I see on other butterfly bushes.
The caryopteris is just opening its flowers now in early August and it too is a much better shape after my winter pruning. The amethyst blooms are not showy. They are quiet but well formed. It does not flower as profusely as others I have seen.
It's 'First Choice' and it remains a smaller version of caryopteris, not bun shaped or dense, but looser and more natural looking. Mine is even more open and lighter colored than the nursery catalogs promise.
It is small and relaxed, the leaves are narrow and light, and the gently distributed flowers are a soft hue, so it doesn't look like much out in the gravel by the sidewalk. It's nice but not showy.
The butterfly bush does have showy flowers, though.
I think I'll need to do the same kind of severe pruning each winter. Both shrubs had been awkward and branchy the year before, so I can see it makes a difference.