Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii
Butterfly bushes make a great addition to any sunny garden. They offer an extended bloom period, which can last until late fall. Also, they are sure to draw beautiful pollinators to your garden.
Their flowers attract a wide array of butterflies, most notably skippers, swallowtails, and monarch butterflies, as well as other insects and hummingbirds. Butterfly bushes can be planted as a single specimen or small groupings. There are dozens of cultivars commercially available.
Native Range: China
Habit: A large woody herbaceous shrub, butterfly bushes can flower again when deadheads (spent blossoms) are removed.
Culture: Butterfly bushes prefer full sun and average garden soil. They are usually sold in containers and are easily transplanted.
In some areas of the country, some varieties are listed as potentially invasive since they produce a high number of seeds. They are relatively pest-free and low-maintenance plants.
Leaves: The leaves have a blue-green cast and serve as a nice backdrop for their flowers, but do not produce notable fall color. In milder winters, butterfly bushes may keep some of their leaves throughout the winter months.
Flowers: Butterfly bushes produce an abundance of 4-8” panicle flowers throughout the summer. The flowers are usually in shades of pink, white, yellow, lavender, or purple with orange throats depending on the cultivar.
Fruit: Buddleia produce non-showy fruit after blooming, but it is best to remove the old flowers before the fruit matures. This will help keep the plants blooming all summer long.
Size: Depending on the variety, butterfly bushes can range in size from three feet to 15 feet tall.
Source: Smithsonian National Zoological Park
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