How to Grow Butterfly Bushes: Planting, Pruning & Pollinator Tips

Hi Mary,

While it is true that there are sterile varieties of butterfly bushes, those varieties are only roughly 98% sterile. This means that there is still the possibility of producing viable seed. Those mostly sterile varieties have the possibility of cross-pollinating with the invasive non-sterile varieties that are already growing throughout the country and forming resilient virile varieties. It has happened before with other "sterile" varieties of invasive ornamentals. 

My neighbours are bullys ..accosted me TELLING me they had spent a lt of money on theyre concrete slab front garden and i was to cut my plant as it would shed all on their slabs ...today they went one farther and said it wasnt to stay there as it would destroy their wall built last yr ....this plant is 1 yr old .flowering lovely and ive ni intention of letting it grow inti a tree..it will be pruned every yr down to ground....can these neighbours bully me like this ...i have googled and in hot countries they do go into trees .but not this country im not happy

The butterfly bush or Buddleia is technically a long-blooming shrub and often considered a sub-shrub because it dies back to the ground. It can be trained to look like a small tree, but it isn't a tree. The shrub can grow to 6 to 8 feet high and 5 to 8 feet wide.

It will indeed shed its leaves in the fall, making the appear dead but it's not; new leaves will arrive in spring. You do need to prune in early spring; this promotes vigorous new growth and flowering. 

We will add that the butterfly bush in considered an invasive now. It's from China and it can indeed spread outside your yard into your neighbor's yard so you really need to keep an eye on it. Google more about "butterfly bushes invasive" and learn more.

As far as your neighbor's go:  This is not our area of expertise! Normally, the biggest issue is the danger of a falling limb and related safety issues (which don't seem relevant here). We would go as far as to say that a neighbor could probably request removal of overhanging branches and roots to your boundary line (and it's in their right to do so). However, if the branches and roots are on your property and errant leaves fall their way, that's nature, folks!

A few weeks ago, in my new-to-me, N Alabama yard, I realized my giant overgrown crepe myrtles were hiding a Butterfly "bush". Never in all my life have I seen this grow into an actual tree! At approx 20 ft tall, possibly taller, and branches 6+inches in diameter, how will I ever manage this plant? It isn't invasive, at least in my yard, it resembles a forest tree, with leafing and blooms only at the very ends of the branches. It really is a lovely tree, and I've not seen animals and insects flocking to the sparse blooms so I would feel ok about letting it continue to grow as is, unless it's disruptive ecosystem potential is too great. Any advice as to handle its future? Thanks, in advance, for some much needed advice!

Wow! That sounds like a big one! If it doesn't seem to be spreading, then there's no real reason to get rid of it. We would just leave it be, but would also suggest keeping a close eye on it to make sure that it doesn't spread and crowd out other plants.

We purchased 3 butterfly bushes last spring and planted them all in the same bed on the SE corner of the house (the sunniest spot that we have). The one closest to the front door has grown very tall (over 4 ft!), but is not bushing out at all. I have 6 or 7 tall stalks and a few lower leaves, but that's it. The plant next to it is half to a quarter as tall with just a few taller shoots while the 3rd plant is barely 6" tall, still green and leafy though. I'm just wondering what would cause such a difference in them since they are all panted in the same soil and get the same amount of light. Also, would it be beneficial if I were to loosely tie the taller shoots together, as in a circle of twine not actually tied to the plant, just keeping it more upright, to "train" them to stand up? Right now they just flop down nearly to the ground because of their height/weight. Thank you so much!

The roots of these plants are susceptible to soil diseases. Are you watering? Perhaps too much: butterfly bush does not like wet soil. You can tie up the branches to get them out of the way, but there is no training this plant. In the fall, you are advised to cut it back almost to ground level. So whatever comes back next year will have its own way.

Hi, I live in Bakersfield, CA. I planted my Butterfly bush last year it grew a little and had some flowers, this year it surprised me and grew to about 7-8' and had beautiful flowers. I have been cutting off the dead flowers even if they are 3/4 spent. Now I notice that the leaves and stems have a pale powdery look. What have I done wrong. Please help I hate to loose this plant, it also provides some shade for my water fountain. Thank you. Maxine

Hi Maxime. Butterfly bushes are relatively troublefree.  If you have a lot of leaf wetness, they can get Downy mildew which is caused a fungus.  Avoid any water splashing on leaves. Plants need to be watered at the soil level. If you keep water from splashing on the leaves, it should end up fine. Pesticide use on these shrubs is discouraged, particularly when in bloom, because of the wide variety of beneficial insects the plant attracts to keep it healthy.

I was shocked to find out this was an invasive plant. I purchased 10 of these to place around my property from a plant sale run by my county department of environmental conservation and sponsored by the Cornell cooperative! In any case, how long should it take for the plants to establish themselves? They were very small, basically just sticks with roots, when I put them in the ground. That was about 3 weeks ago. When should I expect to see them doing something? Thanks.