Nothing, as far as this author knows, brings butterflies to your garden like buddleia. It’s a shame then that they get their fair share of hate. We have gotten hate mail for even selling them. Seems that the downfall of civilization rests on butterfly bushes.
Fret not, thanks to some fantastic breeding, we now have sterile varieties that are just as easy to grow and full of blooms, as well as much more compact than older varieties.
They are consistently best sellers and are just all around great plants for Western North Carolina gardens. Sort-of in between a shrub and a perennial, they grow fast, even in poor soil, and bloom for a LONG time on new growth. This means they can be hedged and trimmed quite aggressively without sacrificing the next seasons blooms. In fact, they look best when trimmed back seasonally in spring.
They flush out and bloom when the weather warms up, so no worries about the late spring frosts either.
There are a lot of them on the market now. Here are our favorites:
Miss Molly
This one has been out for a while now, in fact it’s off patent, so you might see them in black pots soon from local growers. This is a mid size variety with fuchsia blooms that is VERY vigorous. Miss Molly is always a best seller for us.
Pugster Series
This whole series is fantastic. Nice, thick blooms on a very compact plant, only reaching 3-4′ tall and wide. They say 3′ but that may be a bit optimistic. Colors come in purple, blue, pink, and white. Unfortunately no fuchsia with this series though, so Miss Molly remains the queen. Great winter hardiness and very little deadheading necessary with the Pugsters. A name after our own heart.
Cascade Series
This series from Walters Gardens in Michigan is our favorite to grow. Clients always come back amazed at the huge blooms and fast growth. Once the pots are full they fly out the door. We especially like Pink Cascade 2. All of them have large, cascading blooms looking somewhat like a weeping version. This variety may not be 100% sterile, but Walters has yet to observe seed set at their trial gardens.
Not only will all of them bring more butterflies to your garden than any other plant we know of, they also bring the bees and hummingbird moths. Mix them up in a bed with some milkweed and some tall wispy perennials like Gaura for a show all summer long.
Finally, while they are one of the easiest plants to grow, here are a few tips for keeping them healthy:
- Don’t prune until spring, just before they start to leaf out for the season. You can prune heavy, but may want to go lighter with the more dwarf varieties like Pugster.
- Full sun is pretty much a requirement. They get leggy in shade.
- Fertilize in poor soil, late spring. They grow a lot and like some nitrogen.
- Amend the soil with soil conditioner in heavy clay. They are drought tolerant and prefer dry over wet areas.
- Deadheading extends the season, keeping them looking fresher longer.
- They can be short lived for some people, particularly when winter is harsh and they are in an exposed area. If you’ve struggled in the past, give Pugsters a try, and plant in spring so they have the season to get established.
Let us know if we’ve missed YOUR favorite!