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.