Butterfly Bush: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Butterflybush

Planting

Buddleias need full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.
Plant in spring or fall.
Loosen the soil, mix in compost, and dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant container.
When placing the plant in the hole, the top of the rootball should be level with the soil surface
Space plants 5 to 10 feet apart, depending on the variety.
Water thoroughly.

Care

Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
Avoid fertilizing butterfly bush; too much fertility supports leaf growth over flower production.
Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds.
Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost and mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.
In cold Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through the winter.
Buddleias are very late to break dormancy, so don't be in a hurry to assess winter damage.
The bush should bloom abundantly even in its first year. In warmer climates, the bushes will grow into trees and develop rugged trunks that peel; peeling is normal.
In the northern limit of their range, they behave as herbaceous perennials, dying back to the root in cold winters.
Since they bloom on new wood, even if there is no die-back, cut them back to the ground every spring. Even where winters are mild enough for the stems to survive, prune severely to stimulate abundant growth on which flowers are borne.

Pests

Susceptible to capsid bug, caterpillars, weevils, mullein moth, and spider mites.
Fungal leaf spots and die-backs can occur.

Recommended Varieties

'Lockinch' is a spreading, vigorous, deciduous shrub with long, arching shoots. mid-green leaves, and fragrant violet-blue flowers. Grows 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
'Petite Indigo' (syn. 'Nanho Blue') has slender leaves and narrow panicles of pale lilac-blue flowers. Grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide.
'White Profusion' has large, very white flower spikes and grows 10 feet high and 15 feet wide.

E-Cards

Send this free e-card of a butterfly on a butterfly bush! See more e-cards of butterfly bushes!

Special Features

Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Birds

Comments

I trimmed my butterfly bush

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By Kathleen F on June 13

I trimmed my butterfly bush in the fall not realizing you do it in the early spring. I have not yet seen any growth (Orange County, NY) yet. I am wondering if its just delayed from our unseasonable cold and wet June? Please advise.

If you had a cold, wet

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By Almanac Staff on June 17

If you had a cold, wet spring, then give them a bit longer.
Fall pruning isn't ideal as it can increase the risk of cold damage. Did you have a tough winter? Did you have mulch or snow to insulate the roots? Do you have any new growth at all? You could try a scratch test on your plants; scratch the stalks near the base, and if you see green, they are still alive. We wish you well.

My lawn service didn't see my

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By Zoe99 on June 9

My lawn service didn't see my nascent butterfly bush (which I cut down in the spring) and mowed over it last week (June 3).

Will it come back next year if I protect it this year with mulch and a tomato cage (so the mowers know not to keep mowing over it)? Or should I dig it out and plant a new one?

You could try protecting the

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By Almanac Staff on June 11

You could try protecting the plant this year with mulch and a tomato cage. It may be that the plant will recover this year, producing some leafing branches. (You won't get flowers.) Depending on your hardiness zone, there might be enough time for the plant to re-establish itself a bit before winter. If there doesn't seem to be a response over the summer, you could replace it with another plant in fall or spring (which are the best planting times).

My Buddleia bush was just a

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By kim fitzgerald on June 5

My Buddleia bush was just a stalk with a few leaves when i got it.It had plenty of roots,it was from one a friend had. One year later its grown but only has 2 branches coming off the main stem plenty of leaves but no flowers what have i done wrong or what do i need to do HELP!!!!

It could be that the plant

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By Almanac Staff on June 7

It could be that the plant just needs a little more time to become established. Make sure that your plant is getting full sun, and enough water (but not waterlogged), and that the plant is hardy in your area. Some buddleias bloom in late summer, so you may not see flower buds right now, depending on what variety you have. Also, make sure it doesn't have too much nitrogen fertilizer, which encourages leaf growth but inhibits flowering. It sounds like your plant is healthy--no curling/wilting/discolored leaves that might indicate disease or insects, so that probably isn't the trouble.

I love my Butterfly Tree,

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By Ms Karen Serra on June 4

I love my Butterfly Tree, it's the purple one. It's been in the ground for about 3-4 years now and am fascinated reading all the comments. I have never trimmed it other than the top of the branches just below the seeds. Will do that starting next spring though! It's a marvelous tree, can't really kill it, I live in zone 9a. My question is, there are thousands of seeds left after it blooms. What should/can I do with them? They don't seem to re-seed themselves. I read in one comment that you can put a clipping in fertile soil but what about the seeds? Thanks, God Bless!!!

You can save the seed and

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By Almanac Staff on June 7

You can save the seed and plant them. However, if your parent plant is a hybrid, the offspring will likely not exhibit the same traits. Plus, keep in mind that several modern hybrids are almost sterile, producing very few seeds.

Gather the seedpod when there are some signs of browning but not all the way (or the pod will split open). Set it in a plate or shallow pan in a warm room for several weeks to complete the drying process. Once the pods have dried and split open, tap the seeds out.

Some people save the completely dried pods, crush them, and then just scatter the seeds on the ground at an appropriate site. The seeds are very small, and there is a lot of debris (chaff) mixed in.

Others first store the seeds in a plastic bag in the freezer for about 4 weeks to give them a cold treatment (stratification). Then, they plant the seeds in seed-starting pots about 8 or so weeks before the last spring frost. Place each seed just on surface of the seed-starting medium and tap it gently; the seeds need light to germinate. Place the pot in bright, indirect light, in a warm (70 to 80 F) room. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings should appear in about 30 days. Transfer to larger pots as needed. Plant the seedlings out in spring.

Zone 4 dead. I spoke to two

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By Kevin Mack on June 3

Zone 4 dead. I spoke to two local Master Gardeners friends this weekend and they both told me everyone's Buddleia in Minnesota died this Winter. Mine show no signs of life. We had an extreme Winter including deep frosts. Apparently, in Minnesota and Zone 4 they are considered annuals or delicate perennials, and nobody will warrant them as true perennials. One Master Gardener said the longest she had Buddleia in Minnesota was five years. She said she mulched the heck out of hers in the Fall but the frost was too deep this Winter. Fortunately, I found some beautiful new ones for $9.99 and look forward to plant them with care tomorrow!

Mine all died too! I'm in

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By Julieg4 on June 12

Mine all died too! I'm in central/northern Wisconsin. Had 4 big bushes, all very healthy til now. We had deep snow, cold temps, late spring. No butterfly bushes :(

Just starting out... My

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By SammieB on June 1

Just starting out...
My parents have recently purchased a small planted butterfly bush and are hoping to find just the right place for it in the yard. We have two ponds, one upper and one lower, connected by a waterfall system. The first thought was maybe on the banks of the upper pond, near but not too close to the waterfall. The area is full sun with almost 8 or more hrs of direct sunlight and is usually well drained being on a slight slope. My question is, could the roots cause damage to the pond banks and create leaks that would endanger the pond life?

The full sun and well-drained

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By Almanac Staff on June 3

The full sun and well-drained soil sounds perfect. It's fine near a pond.

My new butterfly plant has

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By Nashville on May 31

My new butterfly plant has blooms but has yellow leaves. What do i do? Its been in the ground about 10 days.

How has the weather been?

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By Almanac Staff on June 3

How has the weather been? Often, this is due to a heat distress and lack of water. Make sure it gets a deep soaking to revive it. But don't overdo it. Water it during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Also, it helps if you apply a think layer of compost every spring, along with a few inches of mulch to retain moisture. Also, check for spider mites; try spraying the leaves, especially the undersides, with the water or an insecticidal soap spray. Avoid fertilizing.

Are they deer resistant?

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By Betsy Sawicki on May 31

Are they deer resistant?

I live in western PA and have

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By L Volaric on June 3

I live in western PA and have about 15 butterfly plants. Our are is heavly populated with deer and have never seen any deer damage on them. You can start more plants by taking cuttings and put in a rich soil. Fantastic plant.

Recognizing that no plant is

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By Almanac Staff on May 31

Recognizing that no plant is truly deer-resistant, the Butterfly Bush is one of your best bets and rated as "rarely damaged" by most experts.

I am in zone 7 and have a

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By Debbie Dufield on May 27

I am in zone 7 and have a bush I did not yet trim back to ground level. Is it too late to trim it back this spring, since it is late May?

If you prune now you will not

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By Almanac Staff on May 30

If you prune now you will not have blooms this year. Wait to prune in early spring next year.

I just bought two butterfly

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By DiMaria on May 26

I just bought two butterfly bushes, I want to plant them where they get 7 hours of sun, but it is near a septic tank (zone 9b) - will this be a problem?

There should not be any

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By Almanac Staff on May 30

There should not be any problems planting close to the tank. Just make sure that the soil is fertile and well-drained. Add compost to the soil before planting.

So glad I read the comments.

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By KathleenNall on May 25

So glad I read the comments. Here, on May 25, in SE Wisconsin I seen on signs of life on my butterfly bushes and was ready to replace them - but it sounds like I should be patient! That's the excitement of gardening!!

My butterfly bush is slowly

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By lynnmv on May 24

My butterfly bush is slowly coming back (zone 6) from bieng planted last year. I unknowingly prunned it last fall, before realizing it shoul;d have been done in the spring. It is maybe 5 inches of new growth right now. My question is, I would like to move it to a new location before it gets any bigger. Is this an ok time to do that or should I wait?

Spring and fall are the best

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By Almanac Staff on May 30

Spring and fall are the best times to transplant bushes and trees. If you move it to a new location now be careful to get the entire root ball and add some compost to the soil in the new location. Water well after transplanting.

Hello to all: Anyone from

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By Josh76 on May 23

Hello to all:
Anyone from Ontario Canada on the board and can comment if their Butterfly Bush is starting to show signs of life after our winter. I understand the are late to show signs of growth, but as of May 23, no sign of life yet, although when I broke a stem, it was green.
Thanks

WIth some warmer weather the

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By Almanac Staff on May 30

WIth some warmer weather the bush should show signs of growth by now.

No growth yet. We had some

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By Josh 123 on June 1

No growth yet. We had some cool temperature recently. Anyone else from the Toronto area.

We live in Toronto and have

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By KKitcher on June 2

We live in Toronto and have also seen no growth as of yet on our bush. I do remember it was close to July last year before we saw any buds.

Okay thanks. I checked with

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By Joshxyz on June 6

Okay thanks. I checked with my neighbour and one of her plants has shown some growth, the white variety. The nursery staff recommended waiting for another 10 days or so and to monitor. But sounds like they really are slow to return to the living world.