Buddleia Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip Jr.' | Summer Lilac | Wayside Gardens (2024)

FAQs

What are the negatives of the butterfly bush? ›

butterfly bush contributes to the collapse of food webs

“If you plant butterfly bush, and not native [species], then right away you're removing at least 75% of the food that is supporting the biodiversity that's out there.” And these critters need all the help they can get.

This Proven Winners butterfly bush is another fantastic innovation from Dr. Dennis Werner of NCSU and is non-invasive and approved for sale in Oregon and Washington.

Broadleaf, deciduous, low-growing, multi-branched, compact shrub, to a height of about 2.5 ft, with a spreading habit.

Buddleia Blue Chip can be pruned back hard after flowering, and this will help the plant to become ever more compact and produce more bloom for the following year. In the late winter months, the shrub can be pruned all the way to the ground to encourage a more abundant flower production in the summer.

It grows well (as a pioneer species) on brownfield sites and on masonry due to its tolerance of lime mortars and concrete. In severe cases, buddleia roots can colonise masonry walls making them somewhat unstable and a potential danger as well as blocking gutters and causing rainwater to penetrate walls.

Light: Butterfly bushes grow and flower best in full sun. They will grow fine in part shade, especially in warmer climates, but their flowering may be reduced. Soil: Butterfly Bushes are not particular about the soil conditions, as long as it drains well. Poorly-drained soils can cause root rot.

The Asian tiger mosquito is attracted to flowering butterfly bushes, giving mosquito control officials another tool to monitor and trap the insect that can transmit pathogens, causing potentially deadly diseases, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows.

Fortunately, there are great choices available. My personal top choice is Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). This 6-to-12-foot-high shrub sets fabulous cylindrical white flowers that attract not only butterflies, but bees, hummingbirds and songbirds, as well as serving as host plant for two kinds of Lepidoptera.

'Blue Chip' stays under three feet tall without any pruning, and blooms continuously from mid summer to frost without deadheading. It is frost tolerant, non-invasive and very easy to grow. Cold, wet winters can be really hard on buddleia, so here are a few tips to help your buddleia thrive in your garden: 1.

Buddleia is a perennial, semi-evergreen plant. Once it has flowered, it only loses its foliage for a short period of the year. The flowers of a buddleia generally appear from July to October, with some varieties flowering as early as May.

Do buddleia have deep roots? ›

Buddleia has deep roots and produces a lot of seeds, which allows it to spread and take over an area easily. Removed from its natural environment, the butterfly bush can become an aggressive invader. When planted in gardens or along roadsides, it can crowd out native vegetation and change the local ecosystem.

Pruning buddleja davidii

It's a robust shrub but can quickly become untidy if not pruned, with the flowers appearing so high that only the butterflies can enjoy them. Annual pruning keeps it in shape and helps produce more flowers, lower down.

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.

Butterfly bushes grow and spread aggressively, often out-competing native plants. This can disrupt local ecosystems and decrease food and habitat availability for beneficial insects and other wildlife.

Damage and Impact

Butterfly bush has the most ecological impact by displacing native plants when it escapes to natural areas. Once established in a natural area, butterfly bush can displace native plants.

Because a needle is left in the arm rather than a catheter or PICC line for the purpose of an infusion, a butterfly needle can damage a vein if the unit is suddenly yanked. Even if the right size needle is used, the needle can become blocked during treatment if not correctly placed.

Although eye-catching, hardy, and seemingly helpful to butterflies and other pollinators, Butterfly Bush is far from beneficial; in fact it's actually an invasive species that can impair the health of our local ecosystems.