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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> Tue, 07/02/2013 - 17:17
Let the soil dry out and then plant the bush in a spot that has good drainage. Add some compost to the soil before planting. Only water when needed and add some mulch around the bush.
<span>Janet Siders</span> Sun, 06/30/2013 - 18:22
Zone 8 (South Georgia) Now have five butterfly bushes. Planted the first one three years ago, the second last year and three more last month. The first two are blooming, but not nearly as many as last year and the blooms seem damaged. the spikes only grow blossoms from the middle to the top. plants are in full sun, but I didn't know about pruning so they've never been pruned. I remove spent boom abut every 2-3 days.
<span>Roberta Reese</span> Fri, 06/28/2013 - 14:28
Can a butterfly bush be planted about 3 feet away from a corner of my house, or does it need a less restrictive area? My areas with full sun are somewhat limited.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/02/2013 - 17:27
Butterfly bushes don't have big roots and you can prune them to be a manageable size. 3 feet from you house should be OK.
<span>Dottie Cates</span> Tue, 06/25/2013 - 22:24
I am baffled. I have 4 butterfly bushes that I planted. They grew well, however now they are getting yellow leaves and the leaves are falling off. We have had a lot of rain. I mulched in the spring. One in particular has very Larry leaves and outgrew the others. It seems to be in the worst shape, however it is blooming . The ones beside it are fine but losing leaves at the bottom. They are panted next to the porch and only get sun on 3 sides. Just trying to give you as much info as possible. Will buy something for spider mites but could it be something else. Maybe over watering from a wet spring? It is a drained area . I trimmed it a bit today as it looks awful, like a scraggly tree but with blooms.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 06/27/2013 - 16:57
Too much water can yellow leaves but also check for pests like earwigs and aphids. It's OK to prune the bush and remove some of the yellowed leaves and branches.
<span>Stacey Tess</span> Tue, 06/25/2013 - 15:20
Our two butterfly bushes look in serious distress - the leaves are curling and turning brown, with smaller leaves nearest the main stalk all yellow. Some leaves have small holes. They are not over-watered. The bushes are on opposite sides of my yard, in Long Island, NY. Both bushes were cut low to ground (about a foot) in the Fall, as I've done for the three years I've had them. I spent the morning going to local plant nurseries, but they are stumped - no help. It looks like the bushes will die without quick action. Thank you!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 06/27/2013 - 16:55
Check for pests. Spider mites can yellow leaves and aphids can do a job on the bush. Earwigs also enjoy eating the leaves. Give the bushes some extra compost or aged manure and cut off the brown leaves.
<span>Stacey Tess</span> Fri, 06/28/2013 - 16:50
Thank you! Will do. The leaves have continued to curl (up, not under) and brown (which starts at the tips), so yesterday I sprayed with Volck in case it's mites. I will add compost and remove brown leaves now. Very much appreciate your reply!
<span>Emily L.</span> Sat, 06/22/2013 - 17:45
Is the end of June too late to prune my three huge butterfly bushes? I know you should do it in the spring, but mine were tiny and didn't look like they needed it. Now they've exploded to 8 feet tall and are hanging over in the driveway... Will it hurt to cut them back a bit? Also, what is the best *organic* solution to the bugs that keep eating them? I have tried neem oil with no success... Thank you for any help you can give me!