If you would still like to put a butterfly bush in your garden, there are a few species of non-invasive butterfly bushes native tothe southwestern United States. Also, there are newer varieties that stay compact and won’t take over your garden. See our native list of butterfly bush below. Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out. You can deadhead after flowering to remove the brown flower heads and improve the plant's appearance. This may also promote a second flush of small flowers. Plant hardy buddleja (see Before you get started above) in ground in a sunny spot– one that receives good light for most of the day– as they will flower best here. Take cuttings in the late spring as the stems begin to harden slightly. Choose shoots from the current year’s growth and cut them about 15 cm (6 inches). Trim the base of the cutting to just below a leaf node. Pinch out the soft tip of the shoot and remove the lower leaves.

As mentioned above, ensure you have plenty of space in a spot with loose, well-drained soil. Buddleias will flower most when placed in a sunny spot where they can soak up lots of sunlight. Choose a slightly sheltered position, where strong winds won’t harm the long branches. The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is a fast-growing shrub with masses of showy, fragrant flowers that attract pollinators. Planted in spring or fall before frost, this perennial will bloom from summer through autumn. Learn how to grow butterflybush. Your buddleia should be positioned at the same level in the ground as it was in the pot. Water it well and continue to water regularly until well established unless the weather is wet. Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot. Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.

One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established. A butterfly bush can grow to over 10 feet tall and can begin to spread throughout the garden, so trim as and when it is needed. The buddleia should be fully pruned at least once a year, ideally in early spring, once the chance of frost has passed. March is often ideal, but bear in mind the weather in your location. If there is a chance of chilly weather, hold off on pruning, as the frost may harm the new growth. Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot. You can choose from a range of flower colours and their shapes range from slender spikes to rounded clusters.

Buddleias will grow well of their own accord, so fertiliser isn’t necessarily needed, but planting in a good compost will get them off to a great start. You can expect to buy buddlejas in 2-3 litre or larger containers at any time of year from garden centres and nurseries. Ocassionally you'll also find smaller potted plants available– they just take a year extra to grow and flower well in the garden. Remove any overlarge leaves and insert your cuttings into a 50% horticultural sand and 50 % compost mixture. You can use hormone rooting powder if you wish. The pink forms are excellent with darker flowers including the red scabious, Knautia macedonica, and dark scabious, like Scabiosa atropurpurea‘Ace of Spades’.In cold, Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through thewinter. 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 otherperennials. This might be the smallest Buddleja we offer: at 65 centimetres in height and spread, this miniature shrub will look lovely in the smallest of spaces. Do not let the tiny size fool you into thinking this variety is more delicate than others, as this hardy Butterfly Bush can withstand subzero temperatures with ease! Buddleia Nanho Blue Use quality all-purpose compost and water well until the plant becomes established. Buddleias need to be re-potted every 2-3 years as they grow and mature, eventually reaching up to 90cm in height. How to grow buddleia Buddleia x alternifolia ‘Argentea’ can reach a height of 3.5 metres (12 feet) and has a lovely weeping habit. It has intensely fragrant pink flowers in July and August and velvety silver leaves.

The original buddleia, b. davidii is a large, vigorous bush that can become quite straggly if not well maintained. It usually flowers in August. This variety is considered an invasive species as it self-seeds so easily. To prevent this plant spreading to surrounding areas in nature, make sure you deadhead it thoroughly to prevent it from spreading seed. Buddleia do best in full sun to partial shade. As long as they get a few hours of sun each day they will be fine and flower well. Water requirements Also known as Mongo or Petite Indigo, this showy shrub produces masses of blue-violet flowers that are particularly attractive to pollinators. This Butterfly Bush variety is suitable for small and large gardens alike, as it does not exceed 1.5 metres in height. Recipient of RHS Perfect for Pollinators badge. Miss Violet Butterfly Bush If you require a dainty performer then ‘Nanho Blue’ and ‘Nanho Purple’ are both excellent buddleia hybrids. They reach 1.5 m (4 ft) in height and have long, slender flower spikes the former in indigo blue and the latter in purple. The flower spikes bend very gracefully. Altland, James (January 2005). "How to keep butterfly bush from spreading noxiously". Oregon State University Extension Service. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021 . Retrieved 4 August 2021.Grows with an arching, spreading habit, up to 5-6 ft. tall and wide (150-180 cm). This shrub will naturalize by self-seeding. Where self-seeding is undesired, remove spent flower clusters prior to formation/disbursement of seed. Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch perweek.