| Attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your | | | | - Buddleia davidii 'Butterfly Hybrids' - a mix of white, |
| garden can be as easy as planting flowers they love! | | | | pink and purple blooms on the same plant. Height to |
| One butterfly and hummingbird magnet is the | | | | 60 inches. |
| butterfly bush. When checking catalogs, the Latin | | | | Buddleia grow best in well drained soil and full sun. |
| name can be classified as either "Buddleia davidii" or | | | | Keep in mind the full sun is also what will attract the |
| "Buddeleia davidii" (most common). Technically, the | | | | butterflies, as they need the sun to warm their body |
| butterfly bush is a shrub, although it grows much like | | | | temperature for flying. When you plant your Buddleia, |
| a perennial in that it dies completely to the ground | | | | water thoroughly. While they will tolerate dry |
| each year. Buddeleia are best suited in USDA | | | | conditions, don't let the newly planted bush dry out |
| hardiness zones 5 - 10. In the lower zones, the | | | | until it is established. |
| butterfly bush won't survive the winter. | | | | Like perennials, the butterfly bush will die down to |
| There are a wide variety of Buddeleia. You can | | | | the ground over the winter in colder climates. In |
| choose one by size or flower color. Typically, Buddleia | | | | colder hardiness zones, place mulch over the plant |
| grow anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall and can | | | | after the first hard freeze. Do not cut back the old |
| spread as much as 15 feet across. The plant looks | | | | wood until spring time to give the root crown extra |
| somewhat like a fountain when fully grown, with | | | | protection. For warmer climates, prune the Buddleia |
| slender arching branches or stems. The leaf color can | | | | back by about one third in early spring . In the spring, |
| vary from silver green to dark green. The tip of each | | | | remove the mulch. Buddleia are slow to awaken in |
| stem will have a long cone-like flower head, made up | | | | the spring, well after the last frost, so don't give |
| of tiny tube shaped individual flowers. The plant will | | | | your bush up for dead if you don't see growth for a |
| bloom from early summer through the first frost. | | | | while! During the bloom season, prune off the spent |
| Some popular cultivars of Buddleia are: | | | | blossoms (called dead-heading) to encourage new |
| - Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight' - dark purple flowers, | | | | flowers. |
| height to 72 inches. | | | | Deciding how many Buddleia to add to your garden is |
| - Buddleia davidii 'Nanho Blue' - deep blue flowers, | | | | dependent upon how much space you have. Buddleia |
| height to 60 inches. | | | | look great as a single specimen plant, or as mass |
| - Buddleia davidii 'Royal Red' - magenta flowers, | | | | groupings. When grouping Buddleia, keep them in the |
| height to 96 inches. | | | | back of the garden, as there height will make a great |
| If you want to try a more unusual plant, try: | | | | back drop. The more bushes you plant, the more |
| - Buddleia davidii 'Harlequin' - pale, variegated foliage | | | | butterflies you will attract! |
| with magenta blooms. Height to 72 inches. | | | | |