How Tall Does a Butterfly Bush Get?

The butterfly bush is a large landscaping plant with many benifits.

The butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is a popular landscaping and garden shrub because of its size, flower coloration and attractiveness to many beneficial insects. Butterfly bushes are large and wide and need plenty of space in order the thrive in your lawn or garden.

Physical Properties

A mature butterfly bush grows 8 feet to 12 feet tall and 8 feet to 10 feet wide. The leaves vary in color from dark green to a silver-gray. A butterfly bush grows extremely fast and can reach a mature size in 1 to 2 seasons.

Care

Butterfly bushes are resilient plants and grow well under a wide range of environmental conditions. Well-drained soil is one of the few growing requirements needed as roots will rot and decay in saturated conditions. A butterfly bush will produce the largest number of flowers if planted in full sunlight. Like most shrubs, they benefit from a thin layer of organic mulch around the base to keep help retain soil moisture.

Related Species

There are a number of related species that grow to varying heights. The sageleaf butterfly bush from South Africa is a large species that grows up to 20 feet tall, while Lindley's butterfly bush is a much smaller shrub and only grows to be 5 feet tall.

References

• Ohio State University: Butterfly Bush
• University of Connecticut: Butterfly Bush
• Clemson University: Butterfly Bush