Butterfly Bush (Buddleia): Planting, Growing, and Care for Pollinator Magnets

Want guaranteed butterflies and hummingbirds? Or one of the most fragrant shrubs? Plant buddleia (butterfly bush).

This fast-growing, deciduous shrub with long, arching shoots reaches 6–8 feet. Green leaves add landscape color, but the masses of blossoms—long, seductively spiked trusses—are the show. Summer to autumn, dense panicles 12+ inches long fill air with fruity scent.

At northern limits, shrubs may die back to ground. No matter—butterfly bush is vigorous and undemanding, sending new shoots given sun and average soil.

Butterfly bushes aren't the only butterfly attractors. Learn more butterfly-friendly garden tips.

Note: Butterfly bush can be invasive in some areas; check local cooperative extension before planting.

Planting Butterfly Bush

• Buddleias need full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.
• Plant in spring or fall.
• Loosen soil, mix in compost, dig hole twice container diameter.
• Set plant with rootball level with soil surface.
• Space 5–10 feet apart by variety.
• Water thoroughly.

Care

• Water freely in growth, sparingly otherwise. Summer: water if rainfall <1 inch/week.
• Avoid fertilizing—excess fertility favors leaves over flowers.
• Remove spent flower spikes for new shoots and buds.
• Each spring: thin compost + mulch for moisture retention and weed control.
• Cold northern climates: mulch 6 inches deep around trunk for winter protection.
• Buddleias break dormancy very late—don't rush to assess winter damage.
• Bloom abundantly even in first year. Warm climates: bushes become trees with rugged, peeling trunks (normal).
• Northern range: herbaceous perennials, dying back to root in cold winters.
• Since they bloom on new wood, cut to ground every spring. Even where stems survive winter, prune severely to stimulate abundant flowering growth.

Pests and Diseases

• Capsid bug, caterpillars, weevils, mullein moth, spider mites.
• Fungal leaf spots and die-backs.
• Butterfly bushes are deer-resistant.

Recommended Varieties

• 'Lochinch' — spreading, vigorous, deciduous, long arching shoots, mid-green leaves, fragrant violet-blue flowers. 8 feet tall, 10 feet wide.
• 'Petite Indigo' (syn. 'Nanho Blue') — slender leaves, narrow panicles of pale lilac-blue. 4–5 feet tall and wide.
• 'White Profusion' — large, very white flower spikes, 10 feet high, 15 feet wide.