Many gardeners plant several butterfly bushes together, so they grow into a shrub-like clump with blooms in all the colors--purple, pink and white.
Butterfly Bush is a shrub-like plant that looks sort of like a compact lilac, grows quickly and blooms in mid-summer. But the name tells you all about it: Butterflies just can't resist the flowers, and flock to the plants when they're in bloom.
The Magic: How the Butterfly Bush works: Buddleia or "Butterfly Bush" has been a sensation in American gardens for years, and no wonder. This plant is easy to grow, blooms profusely, and has that magical quality: Butterflies can't resist it.
Here's why: It's not just the pretty flowers that attract the butterflies, like any bright flower. Buddleias emit a special honey-scented fragrance that lures butterflies like a moth to a light, and then once there, they find the flowers super-rich in nectar.
A butterfly bush in the garden will often be seen with a mass of butterflies on the flowers, especially during hot sunny afternoons. Buddleias attract other insects too, like moths, and the reddish ones strongly attract hummingbirds. So it's more than a name; it's actually a botanical phenomenon.
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Botanical Name: Buddleia davidii
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Common Name: Butterfly Bush
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Color: Fragrant deep purple flowers
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Spread/Width: 60-72" wide
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Bloom Time: Mid to late summer
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Soil Preferences: Will grow in most soil types that are well drained. Drought tolerant.
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Advantages: Deer resistant. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
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