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What could be more enjoyable than relaxing in your favorite lawn chair or hammock, shades on, cool beverage in hand, staring at an enchanting array of colorful butterflies milling around their favorite plant? What could possibly be an easier way to accomplish this vision than by planting a simple butterfly bush?
Are you familiar with Buddleia davidii, butterfly bush? Buddleia is a flowering maniac! It pushes its proliferation of perfumed blooms straight through summer and well into fall. This plant is available in a multitude of colors ranging from white to pink to red to purple. There is selection to fit just about every garden color scheme. The fragrant, long, spiked panicles are borne in profusion on long, gracefully arching branches. And, it really is a butterfly magnet!
This quick growing, deciduous, woody shrub is winter hardy in zones 5 -10. Whether you live in the northern most areas of its hardiness range, where Buddleia behaves like as herbaceous perennial, dying back to the ground in very cold winters, or in the southern most areas, where Buddleia is grown as large shrub, you should treat this plant as ‘cut back’ shrub. Butterfly bush blooms on new wood. It benefits the plant to be cut back to the ground each spring. This will stimulate lavish new growth and an abundance of flowers. It will also keep some of the larger varieties at a manageable size.
Talk about easy! Plant your butterfly bush it in full sun in just about any type of soil and it will thrive. Don’t worry about fertilizing as it can encourage too much leaf growth over flower formation. Deadheading will encourage the manufacturing of new flower buds. Buddleia has a good tolerance for drought once established. Mulch to maintain soil moisture and keep weeds down.
Now, isn’t that easy!
WHITES
‘Nanho Alba’: 6 – 8’ height, blue-green leaves, mildly fragrant
‘Silver Frost’: 5 – 6’ height, silver-gray leaves
‘White Ball’: 3 – 4’ height, silver foliage, compact habit
‘White Bouquet’: 8 – 10’ height, gray-green leaves, flowers have orange throat
‘White Cloud’: 8 – 10’ height, gray-green leaves, flowers have yellow eye
‘White Harlequin’: 8 – 10’ height, variegated leaves
PINKS
‘Charming’: 6 – 10’ height, blue-green leaves, flowers have orange throat
‘Fascination’: 8 – 12’ height, lilac-pink with cupped petals
‘Pink Delight’: 4 – 7’ height, gray-green leaves, true pink flowers, fragrant
‘Summer Beauty’: 5 – 6’ height, silvery leaves, pink-rose flowers
‘Summer Rose’: 8 – 10’ height, mauve-rose flowers, strong fragrance
REDS
‘Burgundy’: 8 – 10’ height, magenta-red flowers, fragrant
‘Dartmoor’: 8 – 10’ height, magenta flowers
‘Harlequin’: 6 – 8’ height, variegated leaves, reddish-purple flowers
‘Royal Red’: 10 – 12’ height, purple-red flowers, fragrant
PURPLES (BLUES)
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Black Knight’: 8 – 10’ height, deep violet-dark purple flowers
‘Bonnie’: 8 – 1’0 height, light lavender flowers with orange eye, sweet fragrance
‘Ellen’s Blue’: 5- 6’ height, silver leaves, deep blue flowers, orange eye, fragrant
‘Moon Shadow’: 3 – 4 ‘ height, lilac purple buds open to lavender flowers
‘Nanho Blue’: 6 – 8’ height, gray-green leaves, mauve-blue flowers, fragrant
‘Orchid Beauty’: 6 – 8’ height, lavender-blue flowers, fragrant
‘Potter’s Purple’: 6 – 10’ height, deep purple flowers, mild fragrance |
