Buddleia, or Butterfly Bush, is a traditional favorite beloved by many. Buddleias are ideal flowering shrubs with many excellent qualities such as continuous flowering from July to October. Butterfly bushes grow rapidly, have attractive woolly or smooth foliage, and richly scented, and are easy to grow and care for. They grow from 2-15 feet tall, produce wonderful flower spokes of white to pink to purple (as well as yellow) and are hardy in zones 5-10. They’ll be sure to fit in any garden because they are so versatile!

Cultural Requirements:

Buddleias are very forgiving plants. They tolerate any well-draining soil – lean, rich, mildly acidic, or alkaline. Although they flower best in full sun, they bloom well in light or filtered shade. Variegated types should be grown only in shade since full sun will scorch the leaves. Most buddleias are drought tolerant.

Pruning:

If never pruned, some butterfly bush cultivars may reach up to 15′ in height. But leaving butterfly bushes unpruned is NOT recommended. Buddleias need proper pruning and deadheading to sustain maximum flowering and to prevent them from literally “flowering themselves to death.” How and when to prune and deadhead depends on the type you grow and your climate.

The most popular type of butterfly bush is Buddleia davidii – the ‘orange-eyed’ butterfly bush. This buddleia produces flowers on new wood – or shoots that will be produced in the current year. Buddleia davidii is often very slow to show signs of life in the spring. This is normal. Do not panic if your butterfly bush does not appear to be growing. When warm temperatures arrive it will rapidly catch up with other shrubs and trees in your yard.

In our zone 6, we recommend that ‘orange-eyed’ butterfly bushes be cut back to about 10 inches tall each spring before new growth begin (or by ½ for dwarf types). This hard pruning will result in better foliage, larger flowers, and increased longevity for your plant. After this initial cut, feel free to prune as heavily as needed during growing season to control shape and size. Flowering will not be affected because new buds are constantly being formed. As flowers fade, be sure to deadhead to encourage new shoots and flower growth.

Fertilizer:

Newly planted butterfly bushes should only be fertilized with a starter fertilizer or root stimulator. Fertilize at planting time and once a month up through August. Thereafter, fertilize established buddleias each spring as soon as new shoot appear. Avoid over-fertilization, for if treated too well, buddleias produce large amounts of soft shoot growth at the expense of both flowering and hardiness. Try a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, to promote early shoot and leaf development without delaying flowering formation.

Diseases & Pests:

Buddleia davidii cultivars are relatively trouble-free and have no major disease. The only notable insect pest is the two-spotted mite, which can render leaves speckled gray-green. Healthy, unstressed, vigorous garden plants that are sited properly have minimal problems. (Please avoid use of chemical insecticides as they are highly toxic to butterflies and hummingbirds! Learn to appreciate nature’s beautiful creatures and overlook slight plant imperfections).

Use:

Butterfly bushes can fill a variety of garden landscape niches. Butterfly bushes are great in groupings, as background plants in the herbaceous border, or mixed with other shrubs. Their wonderful fragrance makes them a superb plant to enjoy near patios or other outdoor living areas. In a sunny garden spot, butterfly bushes will be the focal point of a garden with lantanas, verbenas, spirea, salvia, and other butterfly favorites. Try training butterfly bushes into small, mop-headed trees or espalier them onto a fan trellis. Use dwarf varieties in rock gardens and as ground covers.

Buddleia davidii

Cultivars of this buddleia are among the most popular and easy to find. They have a wide color range of white to all shade of lavender and purple. Hardy to Zone 5, they can reach 3-15 ft, depending on variety. Larger cultivars are informal, spreading shrubs best suited for the back of the border. Compact varieties are great for massing, edging, or ground cover.

Leaves of all cultivars are dark green or blue-gray with felted undersides. This type of buddleia can retain a significant portion of its foliage over the winter. Flower fragrance varies in strength from cultivar to cultivar. Flowers appear on spikes 6-30 inches long! The largest flowers are produced early in the season on new, vigorously growing shoots. Later flowers are generally smaller, but cultivar, degree of pruning, water, and fertility will all strongly regulate the size of the spikes. Bloom time is July to frost. Prune back to 10 inches in early spring.

Look for These Favorites

Our Nursery offers lots of varieties of size and color for any garden. Learn more about each variety and any new ones at our Trees & Shrubs Plant List.

• Attraction
• Black Knight
• Birthday Cake
• Funky Fuchsia
• Lo & Behold Chip Series
• Miss Molly
• Miss Violet
• Monarch Prince Charming
• Pugster Series
• Violet Cascade
• White Profusion

A Final Word on Buddleias

If you don’t have enough garden space for such a big beauty, treat your butterfly bush to a training tip from Lisa Winder of Illinois. She trains this fast-growing shrub as a standard, sending the blooms up rather than out. She’s rewarded with a bunch of blooms, butterflies, and plenty of space for her other garden favorites.

First, in early spring or late winter, she cuts back its foliage to within a few inches of the ground. Then she chooses which of the new shoots will be the “leader,” or main steam. She stakes this leader and removes all side shoots as it grows up to about 4 feet. Lisa uses nylon stockings to tie the stem to the stake. When the foliage and flowers at the top of the butterfly bush fan out, they create a stunning specimen for any garden, big or small.