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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>Kim Fitzgerald</span> Wed, 06/05/2013 - 19:54
My Buddleia bush was just a stalk with a few leaves when i got it.It had plenty of roots,it was from one a friend had. One year later its grown but only has 2 branches coming off the main stem plenty of leaves but no flowers what have i done wrong or what do i need to do HELP!!!!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/07/2013 - 15:46
It could be that the plant just needs a little more time to become established. Make sure that your plant is getting full sun, and enough water (but not waterlogged), and that the plant is hardy in your area. Some buddleias bloom in late summer, so you may not see flower buds right now, depending on what variety you have. Also, make sure it doesn't have too much nitrogen fertilizer, which encourages leaf growth but inhibits flowering. It sounds like your plant is healthy--no curling/wilting/discolored leaves that might indicate disease or insects, so that probably isn't the trouble.
<span>Ms Karen Serra</span> Tue, 06/04/2013 - 23:20
I love my Butterfly Tree, it's the purple one. It's been in the ground for about 3-4 years now and am fascinated reading all the comments. I have never trimmed it other than the top of the branches just below the seeds. Will do that starting next spring though! It's a marvelous tree, can't really kill it, I live in zone 9a. My question is, there are thousands of seeds left after it blooms. What should/can I do with them? They don't seem to re-seed themselves. I read in one comment that you can put a clipping in fertile soil but what about the seeds? Thanks, God Bless!!!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/07/2013 - 14:58
You can save the seed and plant them. However, if your parent plant is a hybrid, the offspring will likely not exhibit the same traits. Plus, keep in mind that several modern hybrids are almost sterile, producing very few seeds. Gather the seedpod when there are some signs of browning but not all the way (or the pod will split open). Set it in a plate or shallow pan in a warm room for several weeks to complete the drying process. Once the pods have dried and split open, tap the seeds out. Some people save the completely dried pods, crush them, and then just scatter the seeds on the ground at an appropriate site. The seeds are very small, and there is a lot of debris (chaff) mixed in. Others first store the seeds in a plastic bag in the freezer for about 4 weeks to give them a cold treatment (stratification). Then, they plant the seeds in seed-starting pots about 8 or so weeks before the last spring frost. Place each seed just on surface of the seed-starting medium and tap it gently; the seeds need light to germinate. Place the pot in bright, indirect light, in a warm (70 to 80 F) room. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings should appear in about 30 days. Transfer to larger pots as needed. Plant the seedlings out in spring.
<span>Kevin Mack</span> Mon, 06/03/2013 - 19:04
Zone 4 dead. I spoke to two local Master Gardeners friends this weekend and they both told me everyone's Buddleia in Minnesota died this Winter. Mine show no signs of life. We had an extreme Winter including deep frosts. Apparently, in Minnesota and Zone 4 they are considered annuals or delicate perennials, and nobody will warrant them as true perennials. One Master Gardener said the longest she had Buddleia in Minnesota was five years. She said she mulched the heck out of hers in the Fall but the frost was too deep this Winter. Fortunately, I found some beautiful new ones for $9.99 and look forward to plant them with care tomorrow!
<span>Julieg4</span> Wed, 06/12/2013 - 12:20
Mine all died too! I'm in central/northern Wisconsin. Had 4 big bushes, all very healthy til now. We had deep snow, cold temps, late spring. No butterfly bushes :(
<span>Sammieb</span> Sat, 06/01/2013 - 12:58
Just starting out... My parents have recently purchased a small planted butterfly bush and are hoping to find just the right place for it in the yard. We have two ponds, one upper and one lower, connected by a waterfall system. The first thought was maybe on the banks of the upper pond, near but not too close to the waterfall. The area is full sun with almost 8 or more hrs of direct sunlight and is usually well drained being on a slight slope. My question is, could the roots cause damage to the pond banks and create leaks that would endanger the pond life?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/03/2013 - 15:40
The full sun and well-drained soil sounds perfect. It's fine near a pond.
<span>Nashville</span> Fri, 05/31/2013 - 18:37
My new butterfly plant has blooms but has yellow leaves. What do i do? Its been in the ground about 10 days.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/03/2013 - 15:38
How has the weather been? Often, this is due to a heat distress and lack of water. Make sure it gets a deep soaking to revive it. But don't overdo it. Water it during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Also, it helps if you apply a think layer of compost every spring, along with a few inches of mulch to retain moisture. Also, check for spider mites; try spraying the leaves, especially the undersides, with the water or an insecticidal soap spray. Avoid fertilizing.