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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

<span>V Rogers</span> Thu, 11/13/2014 - 17:04
Hi! We have a really short growing season here so we decided to keep my butterfly bush in its pot until next year. It was doing great until a week or two ago when it stopped growing and the leaves started to curl and turn brown. I can't figure what is wrong. I trimmed it the first time about a month ago but thats's all that has changed.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 11/14/2014 - 15:21

It's natural for a butterfly bush to turn brown in the fall. Water the bush well and move the plant next to a southern facing wall for added warmth and protection. Also cover the pot with mulch (straw works well).The plant may also be moved into an unheated garage or cool basement. If moved indoors, be sure to check the soil moisture every couple of weeks and water as needed. Pruning is best done in early spring while the bush is dormant.

. 

<span>Ruth W</span> Mon, 09/01/2014 - 10:28
I live in South Jersey adn lost 2 Butterfly bushes in last years cold winter. I purched a dwarf one this year. I want to transplant it to a lanscaped bed on my patio. I am concerned about the root size. I do not want the roots coming through the wall or lifting up the patio. How much space do I need for roots? Thanks
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 09/03/2014 - 11:25

Butterfly bushes have non-aggressive fibrous root. It will do well on your patio. A dwarf can also be planted in a big container. Add a bit of mulch around the plant for winter protection.

 <span>Ruth W</span> Mon, 09/01/2014 - 12:06
I have read through many of the answers below and am more confused. I found one answer that said the roots are massive and another answer that said the plant does not have a big root system. Not sure which is the correct answer.
<span>Annajohnson0318</span> Sat, 08/30/2014 - 16:58
I have recieved a few butterfly bushes from work. I got them in the ground and used a root stimulator for 3 weeks and the blooms were doing amazing. Then I switched to a Bloom booster every 2 weeks... now they are drying up like they haven't been watered but I live in KS with near hundred degree temperatures, so i water them religiously. I trimmed the branches down and the spents... but is this them going dormant? or what is happening? any help would be awesome anna_johnson0318@yahoo.com
<span>Jacob Payez</span> Sun, 10/26/2014 - 17:26
Anna, You do not need to use a blooming fertilizer on your butterfly bushes. They will bloom without much coaxing. Butterfly bushes do not need very heavy feeding. They prefer a balanced fertilizer type, 10-10-10, 5-5-5 for example. They will do well with some higher nitrogen fertilizer in early spring when new growth appears, or after a heavy pruning. By a fertilizer high in nitrogen, I mean high in the first number, 10-5-5, 15-5-5 for example. In later spring and summer, use the balanced fertilizer. You may not need much if your soil is good and fertile. The color of the foliage will tell you if it needs more food. I have found that the amount of sunlight the plant gets is the thing that causes the most rapid growth, much more so than fertilizing. It seems like the more sun, the better. Also, how loose and we'll draining your soil is plays a part. The easier they can spread roots, the bigger they'll get.
<span>Sueperdoodle</span> Sat, 08/02/2014 - 10:26
I live at the shore in NJ. I have been able to grow other shrubs and trees by mixing purchased soil in with the sand. Do you think a butterfly tree will survive and grow if I do the same for it? The tree will be in full sun all day. Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
<span>Ray Ciemniecki</span> Mon, 10/20/2014 - 07:15
Did you ever plant the bush at the Shore? I lost my house and all the landscaping during Sandy. I expect the house to be up this summer and am thinking about plants. I have one in my house in northern nj and it is great. If you did, please reply to my e-mail.. I am not on this type of page much to see a response. Thanks.
<span>Cathy Jo</span> Sun, 07/27/2014 - 12:32
I purchased two tiny butterfly bush seedlings growing in 3" pots a couple of weeks ago at a state park here in southern Indiana. Should I pot them up to larger pots and bring them inside this first winter or go ahead and plant them in the ground. Whichever recomendation you give please include info about how to treat them for their first winter. Thank you for your time, Cathy Jo