The Best Companion Plants for Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) (2024)

FAQs

The Best Companion Plants for Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)? ›

You can complement a large Buddleia with ground cover plants like Ice Plant or Phlox. Or choose flowers with contrasting colors and shapes, such as Mophead Hydrangeas or Bush Cinquefoil. And picking a few butterfly host species to plant with a Butterfly Bush makes your garden even more pollinator-friendly.

You can complement a large Buddleia with ground cover plants like Ice Plant or Phlox. Or choose flowers with contrasting colors and shapes, such as Mophead Hydrangeas or Bush Cinquefoil. And picking a few butterfly host species to plant with a Butterfly Bush makes your garden even more pollinator-friendly.

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.

Where to plant. 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. Avoid very windy sites, even for hardy B.

Butterfly bushes are long-blooming shrubs that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and are available in various colors and sizes. They require minimal care, thriving in full sun and well-drained soil, and are drought-tolerant once they've established themselves.

You need to deadhead it: Deadheading works very well when it comes to enticing new blooms on the butterfly bush. Once the blooms start to look dry and slightly withered, it starts to look a bit sad, and you can give the shrub a chance to push out another round of blooms with some thorough deadheading.

Though they will perform well without supplemental fertilizer, fast-growing, vigorous butterfly bushes do tend to grow and bloom more when fertilized. We recommend applying a granular rose or garden fertilizer in early spring, then again in late spring and early summer.

The shrub usually begins blooming in early to midsummer, and should continue blooming through fall, depending on growing zone and weather. Gardeners have little to do in order to get a butterfly bush to bloom, even in its first year.

Butterfly bushes do best when planted in early spring or summer, but when the temperatures are hotter keep them well-watered. An island bed planted with a butterfly bush (or several) will help attract these lovely pollinators.

Left unpruned, large butterfly bushes can become “second story” plants: their flowers form way up at the top so you can't enjoy them unless you have a second story window. The warmer your climate, the more you should cut back your butterfly bush each spring.

Can you plant Buddleia next to a house? ›

Unlike Japanese knotweed it's not officially classed as an invasive species and there are currently no restrictions on planting it. However, like Japanese knotweed, it is illegal to allow this weed to grow onto neighbouring properties, especially if it causes damage to neighbouring properties.

Buddleja davidii responds well to pruning and neglected shrubs can be rejuvenated by cutting back hard. Later in the season, deadheading faded blooms back to a pair of strong shoots is worth the effort as it gives a tidier appearance and can result in a second flush of flowers.

If you push me on colours I would say that paler colours are maybe 10-15% more attractive to butterflies i.e. lilac white, pale pink but also some dark blues. To be honest any railway line plant is as good as attracting them as any other. Particular good ones in the Nursery are B. 'White Profusion', B.

Pair butterfly bushes with purple Salvias, Milkweed, Ornamental Grasses, and Asters.

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.

The warmer your climate, the more you should cut back your butterfly bush each spring. Even dwarf varieties like our Lo & Behold^® series still need pruning – you'll just be cutting back less than you would on a variety that reaches 8' tall. Be patient.

Pair Azaleas with Boxwoods for color and structure. Mix Hydrangeas and Spireas for seasonal blooms. Combine Viburnum and Holly for year-round interest. Add Lilacs and Forsythia for a fragrant spring.

Yes—butterfly bushes are invasive plants.

Invasive plants have the ability to spread quickly and choke out native plant life.

As you can imagine, the butterfly bush is famous for attracting butterflies, though hummingbirds enjoy its large, fragrant flowers as well.