蜜桃恋人

How to Grow a Butterfly Bush

Attract beautiful butterflies to your garden with a butterfly bush.

Photo Credit
Willowpix/Getty
Botanical Name
Buddleia davidii
Plant Type
Shrubs and Bushe
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Varies
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
5
6
7
8
9
10
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Songbirds

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Planting, Growing, and Pruning Butterfly Bushes

Catherine Boeckmann

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 a butterfly bush (and learn if you should plant a butterfly bush).

About Butterfly Bushes

Also called 鈥渟ummer lilacs,鈥 Buddleja are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. Growing 5 to 10 feet tall, this large, arching shrub produces an abundance of flowers鈥攍ong, spiked trusses鈥攊n mainly purple and pink colors. The shrub grows well in perennial gardens or as a shrub border, and the flowers are good for cutting.

Don鈥檛 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 other perennials. 

butterfly on a butterfly bush

Invasive Concerns of Butterfly Bushes

Please note that the butterfly bush, originally imported from China, has been classified as an invasive species in many U.S. states as it鈥檚 known to crowd out native plants that are essential to wildlife. In warm climates, it can become a noxious weed and spread aggressively, while in cooler climates, it mostly stays contained if gardeners deadhead the flowers.

Note: The butterfly bush does provide adult butterflies with nectar similar to that of many flowers. However, it is not a 鈥渉ost plant鈥 for butterfly larvae; if you want the butterflies to stay, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster, and dill. See plants that attract butterflies.  

If you would still like to put a butterfly bush in your garden, there are a few species of non-invasive butterfly bushes native to the southwestern United States. Also, there are newer varieties that stay compact and won鈥檛 take over your garden. See our native list of butterfly bushes below.

Please check with your local cooperative extension for more information.

Read Next

Planting

Choose a location with full sun and moist, well-drained soil. 

When to Plant

How to Plant

  • Loosen the soil from 12 to 15 inches deep and mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
  • Dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant container.
  • When placing the plant in the hole, the top of the rootball should be level with the soil surface. Gently backfill the hole around the rootball. Firm the soil.
  • Water thoroughly.

Growing

Caring for Butterfly Bushes

  • Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
  • Avoid fertilizing butterfly bush; too much fertility promotes leaf growth over flower production.
  • Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds.  In addition, it is important to deadhead the flowers just as they start to wither so that this invasive plant doesn’t spread volunteer seeds. Deadheading of this invasive is now required in many states.
  • Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost, then 2 to 4 inches of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.
  • In cold, Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through the winter.
  • Buddleias are very late to break dormancy, so don’t be in a hurry to assess winter damage.
  • The bush should bloom abundantly even in its first year. In warmer climates, the bushes will grow into trees and develop rugged trunks that peel; peeling is normal.
  • In the northern limit of their range, they behave as herbaceous perennials, dying back to the root in cold winters.

Pruning Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bushes must be pruned vigorously, or their flowers will grow up so high that you can’t see and enjoy them!

  • Since butterfly bushes bloom on new wood, even if there is no die-back, cut them back to the ground early each spring. Yes, hack to the ground! 
  • Also, prune out dead stems, cutting them close to the ground.
  • Even where winters are mild enough for the stems to survive, prune severely to stimulate abundant growth on which flowers are borne.

Types

We are no longer recommending new plantings of the butterfly bush, given its categorization as an invasive in most of North America. Instead, we recommend using plants that better support the native landscape and food web, given our declining pollinator population. See alternative plants that attract butterflies.

Native Alternatives to Butterfly Bushes

Here are a few great flowering alternatives that also serve as host plants for caterpillars:

See a list of host plants native to your area here:

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Susceptible to capsid bugs, caterpillars, weevils, mullein moths, and spider mites.
  • Fungal leaf spots and die-backs can occur.
  • Butterfly bushes are one of many deer-resistant plants.
Shrubs and Trees
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it鈥檚 not surprising that she and The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 found each other. She leads digital content for the 蜜桃恋人 website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

These bushes are pretty hardy perennials (some would say invasive), so it seems unlikely that it will not come back. It may be that it was fooled by the early warmth, and succumbed to the chill, so needs more time to make a come back. Give it some more time.

Rachel (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

I have a bush growing in a now rather inconvenient spot in my yard. It is above ground, planted inside a ring of brick. What I would like to know is, would it be safe to transplant the bush into a large planter at this time of year since there has, of yet, been no new growth?

Shannon (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

I planted a butterfly bush last year. I'm in Pennsylvania and it looks dead. I have not done anything to it but I just read that I should cut it back. Is it too late to cut it back? Should it have leaves by now? Thanks!

I also live in Pennsylvania and just planted 3 last year. I did not cut back because of them being so new . They looked dead for while but are now sprouting leaves all over. I live in central Pennsylvania. If you live in northern Pennsylvania it may take a while longer .

Pruning a butterfly bush should done before new growth begins in the spring since they flower on new growth. Though it seems extreme, prune butterfly bushes to within one foot of the ground annually enhances the flower display. Good luck and happy gardening!

Just like Shannon from Pennsylvania, my butterfly bush is not showing any signs of life, at all. I live in Northeastern Indiana. I purchased it last year & paid a heft price for it. It is multi-colors and was beautiful!! I am a nervous nelly when it comes to trimming/cutting...I just wanted to clarify when you told Shannon to trim, does that mean trim all the way down? Thank you for your time. Sincerely.

Hi Donna, You haven’t seen any leaf buds at all? You do NOT want to prune after they have started to leaf out since they only flower on the new growth. If you prune after they bud, you’re cutting off the new flowers.

Pruning isn’t essential unless your bush is getting too large or out of control. We only prune to encourage new growth and lots of blooms.If your butterfly bush isn’t leafing out by early May, it may have died. Do the 鈥渟cratch test.鈥 Scratch the bark near the base of the plant. Do you see green or brown? If you see green, it’s alive. If it’s not green, start higher up. Work your way down the bush until you find signs of life and prune to that point. 

And, yes, butterfly bushes can be pruned severely; they love it. 

 

Robin (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

Our yard is under construction
Can I put my butterfly bush in a container until I can put it
Back in the ground again

Bev Baechler (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

I planted a new bush in the ground. I am new to central Florida. It was 2 ft tall and is growing wonderfully but has NO flowers! What have I done wrong? It is on the NW corner of my house. Can't find any information on line to tell me. I may just cut it all back and hope it grows flowers when it grows back. Thanks. Bev

I have a very well established butterfly bush that has been in the ground for about 12 years. It bloomed nicely the first few years, but I have not seen anything in at least 5-8 years. It gets full sun. It is next to our pool. We also have black walnut trees about 20-25 feet away. Could any of these things be the cause? Anything I can do to get this plant to bloom?