Growing Butterfly Bush

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Butterfly Bushes

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The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is a beautiful, fast-growing, deciduous shrub with masses of blossoms—long, spiked trusses—that bloom from summer to autumn.

Its flowers come in many colors, though butterflies seem to prefer the lavender-pink (mauve) of the species to the white and dark purple cultivars.

Also called “summer lilacs,” butterfly bushes are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. The shrub is low-maintenance, only requiring dead-heading and annual pruning in later winter to encourage flowers and a compact shape.

Invasive Concerns

Please note that the butterfly bush, originally imported from China, has been classified as an invasive species in most U.S. regions. In other words, the butterfly bush is known to crowd out native plants that are essential to wildlife, including butterflies and birds. In warm climates, it can become a noxious weed and spread aggressively, while in cooler climates, it mostly stays contained within a garden’s cultivated soil if gardeners deadhead the flowers.

Despite the “butterfly” name, keep in mind that this shrub is not a “host plant” for butterflies in that it does not support butterfly reproduction and lifecycle. Caterpillars do not feed on butterfly bushes; rather, it only provides nectar to adult butterflies. If you do have a butterfly bush, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster, and dill if you want the butterflies to stay. See plants that attract butterflies.

If you would still like to put a butterfly bush in your garden, there are a few species of non-invasive butterfly bushes native to the southwestern US. Please check with your local cooperative extension for more information.

Planting

Planting Butterfly Bushes

Buddleias need full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.
Plant in spring or fall before frost. See your local frost dates.
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

Caring for Butterfly Bushes

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 promotes leaf growth over flower production.
Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds.
In addition, it is important to deadhead the flowers just as they start to wither so that this invasive plant doesn’t spread volunteer seeds. Deadheading of this invasive is now required in many states.
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. Yes, hack to the ground!
Even where winters are mild enough for the stems to survive, prune severely to stimulate abundant growth on which flowers are borne.

Pests/Diseases

Susceptible to capsid bug, caterpillars, weevils, mullein moth, and spider mites.
Fungal leaf spots and die-backs can occur.
Butterfly bushes are one of many deer-resistant plants.

Recommended Varieties

We are no longer recommending new plantings of the butterfly bush, given its categorization as an invasive in most of North America. Instead, we recommend using plants that better support the native landscape and food web, given our declining pollinator population. See alternative plants that attract butterflies.

Native Alternatives

Here are a few great flowering alternatives that also serve as host plants for caterpillars:

Asters (Symphyotrichum)
Beardtongue (Penstemon)
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Columbine (Aquilegia)
Coneflowers (Echinacea)
Goldenrod (Solidago)
Irises (Iris)
Milkweed (Asclepias)
Rhododendrons & Azaleas (Rhododendron)
Spicebush (Lindera)
Strawberries (Fragaria)
Verbena (Verbena)
Viburnum (Viburnum)
Yarrow (Achillea)

See a list of host plants native to your area here: Native Plant Finder

Reader Comments

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NEED HELP ASAP

This appears to be a repeat question but no one has answered it yet so here goes... A friend of mine owns a local nursery in Central Arkansas (zone 7) and just gave me a butterflybush and I am having the same issue as the person that left the last comment, it states that it needed to be planted before the first frost but it is now 11/27/18 and past the first frost, is there anything at all that I can do to save it?

just purchased

I just got a cranrazz bush and we have already gotten a freeze. What can i do with it? the directions say plant before frost. please help :)

butterfly bushes

Southern Illinois - my part of it anyway - has heavy clay soil; I have Not seen any evidence of invasiveness of butterfly bushes around here.
My butterfly bush is the Best nectar plant I have. It blooms for months, And, importantly, my local deer do not eat it.

Butterfly Bush v. Black Walnut Tree

I just bought a butterfly bush lastnight because we were at the nursery and my kids absolutely loved the butterflies buzzing around. Anyways, I didnt plan on buying this, therefore didnt do ANY research. My neighbor has a Black Walnut Tree, and I have done extensive reading on that over the years when it came to choosing plants for my yard. I have never seen a list that included the Butterfly Bush as being able to tolerate the juglone nor have I seen it say that it is sensitive to juglone toxicity. Can anyone spread any light as to whether this plant can tolerate a black walnut tree? Also I live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY....will this plant have a good chance and coming back each year? Thank you

Butterfly Bush and Black Walnut Tree

Hi Amanda,

Butterfly bushes are not known for particularly being resistant or susceptible to black walnut tree juglone, but some people have successfully grown them with a black walnut tree nearby. Our recommendation would be to plant your butterfly bush in an area as far away from the tree as possible to give it the best chance. Also, yes, your bush should come back each year in your region. We hope this helps!

Trimming butterfly bushes

I've had a butterfly bush in my Koi pond for years now and it grows very nicely and gets large (over 8ft). It blooms all summer and attracts butterflies but- a heavy rain bends the long branches and the bush does not recover. If I trim it back will it bloom again? All the blossoms are at the ends of the long shoots.

Deadheading Butterfly Bush

Yes, trimming back the old blooms (deadheading) will encourage the plant to bloom again.

Honeycomb Butterfly Bush

I received a Honeycomb Butterfly bush for my birthday June 1st. I would like to plant this the first of September. I live in Austin and the first frost is November. Is it ok to plant in the fall and let it winter over? We don't have severe winters and I'm afraid it won't last in the pot until Spring.

Butterfly bush

I planted a buterfly bush last fall and it survived the winter without protection. I live in Nfld., Canada where the temperature drops to around - 15 C in January. I thought it was dead this spring but left it in the ground. It's still blooming nicely so I just planted two more. Good luck.

Butterfly bush

My neighbor gave me 2 separate bush balls. They have grown beautifully. I’m moving and want to take them with me. Do I dig up the whole plants or try to divide them

Butterfly bush trimming

I planted a butterfly Bush in late Spring of 2017. It bloomed beautifully. I trimmed it back to just above the ground in spring of 2018. It is now June 29th and no new growth is it dead. I live in NJ

pruning butterfly bush

Hmmm… .Did you prune before new growth began? Or did you cut the buds? The Butterfly Bush flowers on new growth.

Buddleia davidii invasive

I have grown this plan for a very long time in North Central Alabama and have never seen a volunteer plant. Wish I had because you never see them in nurseries . Just bought one from grocery and hope it is one of those old fast growers that attract many, many butterflies.

Butterfly bush

I bought mine last May and it has quadrupled in size. I purchased from Lowes Home improvement ( I am in coastal NC) However they were sold almost as fast as they stocked them.

Butterfly bush

Planted a new butterfly bush about a month ago. It looked great. It had a lot of blooms. Now the blooms have died and the plant also looks dead. What could I have done wrong. Great sunny location. Plenty of water and decent drainage.

butterfly failing

We can not be absolutely certain but can only suggest that the transition from pot to plot can be traumatic. Did you retain the soil on the root ball or shake a good bit of it off? If you did the latter, you may have prolonged its transition/adjustment period. Its roots need to get acclimated again, set themselves up to feed and supply drink to the plant. That’s a big job. Here’s another idea: you could contact the source you purchased it from and see if they have a return/exchange program, or at least see if this is a common experience and what to do about it.

butterfly bush

We have Butterfly bushes and they still have not bloomed this year it is now June 7. Do you think they are dead.

dead butterfly?

If the plant has leaves, it is probably not dead. Read the care tips above and be sure the plant is getting everything it needs.

Mould on soil

My mum has a butterfly plant in her garden which she has has for years, every year it is cut back and every year it blooms. This year it seems to have died as there is what lols like a white/black mould like substance around the base of the plant and it hasn’t bloomed at all, any ideas what this could be and how if any chance I can save it. Thanks

Butterfly Bush Mold

Is the mold on the soil or on the plant itself? If the mold is on the stems of the plant, then those stems could be dead or dying. Do a scratch test on those stems—scrape off a tiny piece of the bark above the moldy bit to see if the stem is still green underneath. If so, the stem is still alive and the mold is likely just superficial.

If the mold is only on the soil, it’s due to decaying matter in the soil, such as fallen leaves or other plant matter.

As long as the plant has leaves, it’s not dead. Scrape off all the mold that you can, then treat the plant and surrounding soil with a fungicide to discourage new fungal growth. The plant may not bloom this year, but if it survives, it should be back to normal in the future.

Butterfly bush

I planted 3 bushes last spring and they were beautiful all year. I cut back to about six inches April it is now May 20th and still no sign of new growth. Planted 6/72017 and they have a year guarentee, should I be concerned. Central Illinois and we have had an early spring everything else is up.

Butterfly Bush Not Growing

Hi Reihm,

If you cut back too early, a frost can do damage to any new growth that you expose. Try a scratch test by scraping a little of the back away on a few stems. If the wood inside is green, it’s alive. If it’s brown, it’s dead. At this point, cut back any dead wood you find to green wood, which should encourage the bush to grow. We hope this helps!

Butterfly Bush

What temperature does the soil need to be???

butterfly tree, bush

I bought a new home the backyard has a beautiful butterfly bush but it shan't been cut back its now may 17 is it too late to cut back??? thanks

When to Cut Back Butterfly Bush

Hi Frances,

Depending on your region, it most likely isn’t too late. Cut back any dead wood to expose green wood to encourage growth!

Butterfly bush grown in pot

I live in an apartment with a nice little back yard probably 20 x30 maybe a little bigger it gets great sunlight wither that being said I’m not able to plant directly into soil how can I go about growing it in a pot

in a pot?

Well, you can buy it and put it into a pot or buy it in a pot. Often, but not always, shrubs or trees sold in pots are in there pretty tightly. So transplant the bush into a larger pot soon after you buy it. How big? Several inches wider/deeper. You want to give the plant enough space to settle into—but you do not want to do this every year. (Because it is a bit of work and the plant may not perform well if it has to acclimate to a new “home” every year.) Make sure that the pot has holes in the bottom for drainage—and seriously consider putting the pot on a drip tray or other surface when you put it into the yard. If you do not, it could very well send roots out the drainage holes…and you would have a plant growing into your backyard soil, which, as you say, is not allowed.

Butterfly bush

I planted three bushes last spring and enjoyed all summer. It is now April and I just read that I should have cut them back to the ground early spring. Should I still cut them back at this late date.

pruning back butterfly bushes

I too planted 4 butterly bushes last year and they were beautiful. Two were a dynamic color and two were white. Now, being the first week of May, I'm told to cut them all the way back. I'm so fearful that if I do that, I'll kill them.

When to prune/cut back

Early spring is a good time to prune butterfly bush (and rose of Sharon, blue mist spirea, and others). But better late than never is acceptable, too. You can do it now; just leave any new shoots you see. These plants have endurance.