Butterfly Bushes definitely live up to their name. I have a dozen of these bushes scattered through out the backyard and my children and I love watching the butterflies flit from bush to bush.
How to Grow Butterfly Bushes
How to Plant Butterfly Bushes
Plant Butterfly bushes in the spring or fall. They need full sun and well-drained soil. Think carefully about the location when planting they will grow to be over 4′ wide and 4′ to 6′ tall. Make sure you space butterfly plants 5 – 8 feet apart.
Dig your hole, twice large as the root ball, loosen the soil, mix in compost. When placing the plant in the hole, the top of the rootball should be level with the soil surface. fill in with soil that has been mixed with compost and water thoroughly.
Caring for Butterfly Bushes
In the summer, water if your rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. You can water freely during periods of growth, but you can cut back on your watering during periods of dormancy.
Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost. Other than that, you don’t need to worry about fertilizing your butterfly bush. Too much fertilizer supports leaf growth instead of flower production.
Each spring, apply a thin layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. In cold climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to protect it through the winter. Remove the excess mulch in the spring, add a thin layer of compost and reapply a thin layer of mulch.
They will die back to the root in cold winters. Butterfly bushes are very late to break dormancy, so do not try to assess winter damage until very late spring.
Butterfly bushes bloom on new wood, so even if there is no winter die-back, cut them back to within 6 – 12 inches of the ground every spring to stimulate new growth on which flowers are produced.
Growing Butterfly Bushes
I think I would enjoy these hardy plants even if they didn’t attract so many butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. They require very little water, do not mind poor soil, are unfazed by 100 degree heat, and can survive –20 degree winters. Around here they are known as easy keepers!
The bushes in my backyard, die back to the ground in the winter. I have a microclimate which is a little warmer in the front yard and the bushes there remain green year round. I advise putting at least 6 inches of mulch around the plants in the fall if you live in zones 4 – 6, to help them weather the winter.
I have bushes with pink, white, and lavender flowers, though none of the white flowers have opened yet. They remind me of lilacs with all of their little trumpet flowers. They differ from lilacs, in that they do not have a short flowering season. They will bloom from spring to fall, unless they are under unusual stress. Once the temperatures reach the mid 90’s my Butterfly Bushes stop producing new flowers. They resume once the temperatures drop back to the 80’s.
In the picture above, is a spent flower, flanked by two blooming spikes, with another flower beginning to form lower on the branch. I think the spent flowers still look pretty, so I leave them for a while. However, removing spent flowers does encourage new shoots and flower buds.
The flowers start opening from the base and work their way to the tip of the spike. They do not drop their blooms once they are done flowering, so they must be pruned. I don’t think there is any agreed upon way to prune Butterfly Bushes, though most gardeners agree that they are very forgiving and will survive just about any pruning they receive.
To save money on landscaping our yard with butterfly bushes, I bought 1 gallon sized plants. They grow fairly quickly and within in 2 years our bushes were over 4 feet tall. If you buy small plants, keep in mind the fact that they will 6 feet high and 3 – 4 feet wide when you are planning where to plant them.
zentmrs says
That's a beautiful plant! I'm always looking for something to attract the butterflies and hummingbirds to my yard. Love to watch them. Thanks for sharing!
Ann @ makethebestofthings says
Your bushes are pretty. I have one bush that grows back to twelve feet tall each year after severe pruning. It has gorgeous purple blooms and the butterflies love it. It really is a carefree and reliable plant! I saw one bush in Jacksonville, Oregon that was HUGE and BEAUTIFUL, easily 15 foot tall and almost 4 foot across with many trunks at the base. Truly a statement plant!
Ott, A. says
Beautiful! Have you seen any butterflies land on them yet??
a Latte with Ott, A
Jami@ An Oregon Cottage says
I've got two of these, but I feel a little guilty about it because they've been declared a noxious weed here in Western Oregon. Mine never reseed, though, so I don't feel toooo guilty about it. 🙂
Thanks for sharing at the TGP!
Athena at Minerva's Garden says
Thank you for sharing this plant with us! I have three butterfly bushes in my garden, and I've noticed that if you can deadhead them, or cut off any dead flowers, they tend to keep reblooming. I have a 'Pink Delight' one, and a lovely light cool shade of lavender one called 'Lochinch' that I really like.
Jean says
Alea, I lost mine this winter. I do love them and need to find a place where they can thrive. The purple color is lovely. Jean
Alea says
Darla, I am going to go take a soft stem cutting today and try rooting it. Thanks for the tip!
denise says
When is the best time to take the cuttings for propagation? Also, is it possible to divide the bush if it gets too big and move some roots to a new location? I presume that is safest done during winter dormancy?? Has anyone transplanted a large bush and not lost the whole bush? It’s hard to see where the outer shoots are in the winter as mine dies back to the ground. It is so large now and very crowded with other plants. Thanks
Suzanne says
They sound like the perfect plant — one you can ignore and enjoy!
perennialgardener says
I love that shade of purple, the only plant I have has a white bloom. 🙂
Garden guy says
I have a rainbow butterfly bush its my favorite but its kinda struggling right now because of the harsh winter
Sandy says
I love the name of your blog.. "determined".. sounds like me! I have been trying to get my garden off to a good start.. but it rains so much in the afternoons here.. (rainy season in summer).. all the plants get steamed!
SoFlorida is a killer!
Nice blog
Sandy
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Zoey says
I love them, too. Mine has not yet bloomed, but when it does, I will be out everyday checking to what butterflies are on it.
Darla says
Oh and the root from soft stem cuttings very easily. I too, love mine.