Description

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) are workhorses in the pollinator garden. Flower panicles come in a variety of colors mostly including shades of lavender, magenta, violet, pink, and white. Most Butterfly Bushes bloom on new wood so trimming off winter kill or complete rejuvenation will not affect flowering. In fact, flowering is often bigger and bolder from new water sprout growth when trimmed to the ground each year. Most Butterfly Bushes in zone 6 are maintained this way. Foliage is typically an attractive greenish-gray to mint green and persists into the fall until hard freezes occur. Use in the landscape in small or large groupings for its amazing flower power! Plants grow best in full sun with medium to dry soils. Drought tolerance is high with established plants so extra watering is rarely needed in our East Kansas climate with 40 inches of rain per year. Obviously, Butterfly Bush attracts lots of butterflies. There has been some debate in recent years on whether to plant Butterfly Bush because it's a non-native plant. Being a native of China, it has no pest or disease problems here. It is invasive in some parts of the country but cold Kansas winters keep it and check and without any self-seeding problems here. If you are still worried about it, there are several sterile varieties to choose from. There have been many drastically improved cultivars in the last 10 years aiming to improve cold hardiness, bloom size, eliminate seeding, and improve growth habits. Buddleia x 'Pugster Blue' is a compact Butterfly Bush reaches just 2-3' tall and wide but has the large, full flowers normally seen on a much larger plant. It blooms non-stop from early summer through frost with true-blue flowers, each with a tiny yellow-orange eye in the center. Thanks to thick, sturdy stems, the Pugster® series offers vastly improved hardiness and winter survival over other types of dwarf Butterfly Bush. Thanks to its long-blooming habit, Pugster Butterfly Bushes add low-maintenance color to any sunny spot in your yard. The name "Pugster" comes from these plants' resemblance to a pug - short, stocky, and cute! In Eastern Kansas, this cultivar performs WELL with just about everything nature has to challenge it! Heat and drought are tolerated. Cold tolerance is no problem in our zone 6. If winter die-back occurs, cut back in March/April and flowers will occur on new growth this year. No disease or pest problems. Combine with caryopteris and crapemyrtle to create a late season "all you can eat" buffet for pollinators! All Proven Winners® plants are legally propagated, healthy and vigorous, true to name, and tagged with color pictures and growing information.