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

Attract beautiful butterflies to your garden with a butterfly bush.

Image Credit:
Willowpix/Getty
Botanical Name
Buddleia davidii
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
6-10 feet
Spread
6-10 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Alkaline
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Special Features
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Fragrant
Long Blooming
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Salt Tolerant
Plant Type
Shrubs and Bushes
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

If you’ve ever dreamed of a garden buzzing with butterflies, the butterfly bush might seem like your perfect match. With its arching stems and cone-shaped clusters of fragrant blooms, this fast-growing shrub is a pollinator magnet that brings nonstop summer color. But before you plant, there’s more to consider—like when to prune (hint: not too early!) and whether your region may classify it as invasive. 

In this guide, we’ll help you plant, grow, prune, and responsibly care for Buddleja—so you can enjoy its beauty while being a smart steward of your garden.

Also called “summer lilacs,” butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. Growing 5 to 10 feet tall, this large, arching shrub produces an abundance of flowers—long, spiked trusses—in mainly purple and pink colors. The shrub grows well in perennial gardens or as a shrub border, and the flowers are good for cutting.

Don’t prune at the wrong time. Butterfly bush growth appears on new wood, so pruning should wait until the new wood is ready to grow in spring. Also, be patient with this shrub as it may not leaf out in the spring until after other perennials. 

butterfly on a butterfly bush

Invasive Concerns of Butterfly Bushes

Please note that the butterfly bush, originally imported from China, has been classified as an invasive species in many U.S. states, as it’s known to crowd out native plants that are essential to wildlife. In warm climates, it can become a noxious weed and spread aggressively, while in cooler climates, it mostly stays contained if gardeners deadhead the flowers.

Note: The butterfly bush does provide adult butterflies with nectar similar to that of many flowers. However, it is not a “host plant” for butterfly larvae; if you want the butterflies to stay, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster, and dill. 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 United States. Also, there are newer varieties that stay compact and won’t take over your garden. See our native list of butterfly bushes below.

Please check with your local cooperative extension for more information.

Planting

Choose a location with full sun and moist, well-draining soil. 

When to Plant

How to Plant

  • Loosen the soil from 12 to 15 inches deep and mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
  • 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. Gently backfill the hole around the root ball. Firm the soil.
  • Water thoroughly.

Growing

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, then 2 to 4 inches of 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.

Pruning Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bushes must be pruned vigorously, or their flowers will grow up so high that you can’t see and enjoy them!

  • Since butterfly bushes bloom on new wood, even if there is no dieback, cut them back to the ground early each spring. Yes, hack to the ground!
  • Also, prune out dead stems, cutting them close 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 and Problems

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

Types

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 to Butterfly Bushes

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

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

Shrubs and Trees

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 09/09/2015 - 09:31

Check the soil around the plant to make sure it is not too soggy and water when dry. Cut off any dead branches and hope for the best. Where there is life there is hope! I wouldn't give up on it until next spring.

 <span>Kategags</span> Sun, 08/16/2015 - 14:01
I planted Buddelia davidii 'Buzz' in a large container this summer, it's done well. We're slightly north of the 49th parallel, whatever zone that is...and I have no place to plant it come winter. Ideas?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:26

You can leave it outside and prune it back after frost. When it gets below mid-20s, overwinter your plant in an unheated garage. Keep the soil on the dry side but not too dry. Repot in the spring.

 <span>Casper</span> Thu, 08/13/2015 - 17:34
Live in chgo area,have two butterfly bushes over 10ft apart,same sun and earth.One stands tall and upright the other kind of wilts and/or droops yet flowers what does it lack or need?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 08/14/2015 - 04:50

That's a hard one. Have you used any fertilizer nearby? Irrigation can move the chemicals into the root zone of one plant more than another. Also, check for insects. Perhaps one has been attacked, but not the other. Otherwise, I suppose plants are like people. Some are heartier than others.

 <span>Debbie R</span> Wed, 08/05/2015 - 21:30
A neighbor dug up a 5 foot butterfly bush and it looks like they hacked through some of the roots to get it out of the ground. They asked if anyone wanted it so I took it and planted it in my backyard. The leaves had shriveled a bit. Do you think the bush may rejuvenate and come back? I live in Maryland. Thanks in advance.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 08/10/2015 - 10:55

The best times to transplant buddleia (or any shrub) are in the early spring or in the fall. In this case, keep the plant well watered until it's roots recover from the trauma. If the plant is large, cut back some of the excess foliage.

 <span>Patty1</span> Sat, 07/25/2015 - 09:52
I recently purchased a butterfly bush and it was doing fine, I live in Wv I'm not sure what zone that is I don't know that much about them other than I like them. We have had a lot of rain, and my plant looked totally dead. The neighbor who knows about plants told me I should dig it up because it was gone. I decided to cut it back instead even though it's July, I hope it's not going to make a difference. It was totally green when I cut the dead looking branches back, I just hope I haven't cut it back too early. It was dead looking anyway, I guess my question is do you think it will make it until next spring? I did cut it down pretty short thinking it was dead anyway, my timing was way off. Please help.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/27/2015 - 15:05

It's always good to cut off dead or diseased branches. These shrubs handle stress well and will grow back if the roots are still healthy. Give the bush a bit of time and you may see some new growth.

 <span>Animez</span> Wed, 07/22/2015 - 00:38
I have a butterfly bush in the corner of my yard. It gets a fair amount of sun, and had lovely blooms earlier in the summer. We had a very early spring, so it probably bloomed earlier than normal. Unfortunately, I have found that grasshoppers are loving on the leaves of this bush - and another that I have. The leaves are chewed to lace. The bush still has new growth though. Lately, the leaves towards the bottom of the bush are yellowing. I live in UT and we have had some very hot weather. I water every day. Am I overwatering it?? I am so afraid to not water - I have killed quite a few plants thinking they were getting too much water when in fact, they were not. The soil is good where this bush is - not clay - good drainage. I do water in the evening - should I water in the morning instead? Any advice would be appreciated!!