Botanical Name: Buddleja davidii
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Common Name: Butterfly Bush  
Plant photo of: Buddleja davidii
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

3-6', 6-12'

 

Flower Color

Lavender, Pink, Purple, Red, Violet, White

 

Flower Season

Summer, Fall

 

Leaf Color

Grey Green, Silver

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Mediterranean, Ranch, Native Garden, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Entry, Perennial Border, Shrub Border, Foundation, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Hedge, Screen, Mass Planting, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Hummingbirds, Butterflies

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Steve Mullany/Sortomme

  • Description

  • Notes

Butterfly bush are an attractive summer blooming shrub, well suited for the shrub or perennial border. Varieties range from 3 to 12 feet tall; dwarf forms are as wide as they are tall, and taller forms have widths generally half to 2/3 the height. Shrubs are mounding to upright and arching. Leaves grey green to silver. Fragrant flowers are spire-like and appear in mid to late summer. Colors range through the pinks and violets, and also white, yellow, and deep purples. Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees; deer resistent.
Buddleia flower on new wood, so a hard pruning in late winter to early spring will encourage alot of branches and alot of flowers. Buddleia sometimes die-back in our colder winters, so prune hard to remove dead wood. If you want to try to keep your buddleia taller, when you prune, cut off the outward, arching branches, leaving the taller, central limbs in place. Attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; resistent to deer. Grow in full sun to part shade, but best flowering occurs with full sun. Grow in well-drained soil; adaptive to soil types, from poor, dry soils to sandy-loam and clay-loam soils. A great cut flower.