I’m a Sun-Worshiping Shrub That Butterflies Love

Flowering Shrub of the Week: Buddleia – ‘Butterfly Bush’

Draw pollinators to your garden with Buddleia – better known as Butterfly Bush. Buddleia (pronounced BUD-lee-ah) is a surefire magnet for butterflies, bees, moths, and hummingbirds.

This sun-worshiping shrub has lanceolate (lance-shaped) leaves and sports white or gray undersides. Each shrub produces abundant, aromatic flower spikes that begin to appear in July.

Drought-tolerant and deer resistant, Buddleia adds prolonged interest to garden beds, borders, and cottage gardens as it continues to bloom into October.

The flower spikes range from bright white to deep purple – and include variations that are pink (Pink Delight) red (Royal Red), yellow (Sungold), and orange.

Buddleia includes 100 species that are endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The name Buddleia was coined by Linneus in posthumous honor of English botanist and rector Rev. Adam Buddle. Buddle died some 15 years before Dr. William Houstoun sent the first specimens of B. americana from the Caribbean to England.

Although we consider Buddleia a shrub, some varieties reach 98’ in height – qualifying them to be classified as trees.

B. davidii, which was named for the French Basque naturalist Père Armand David, is native to central China. This species of Buddleia and hybrid forms are most common in our geographic area.

Buddleia is not native to our area and is considered by some to be invasive as certain varieties can self seed and proliferate. There are many types of Buddleia that have been bred which are sterile (seedless). A good example is the Proven Winner series of Buddleia “Low & Behold.” This is also a dwarf variety for those who are looking for a more compact growing plant.

Some other popular varieties are Black Knight, which has deep purple flower spikes, and White Profusion. Stop in and see all of our Buddleia varieties that will provide plenty of “Flower Power” all summer long.