How Many Hours of Sun Does a Butterfly Bush Need?

Brightly colored, fragrant flowers attract butterflies to home gardens.

Butterfly bush is a hardy summer-blooming shrubs that produces small flowers in colors ranging from deep purple to red, white and yellow. Gardeners prize this plant for the long-lasting, fragrant blossoms as well as the attraction of butterflies to the blooms. Butterfly bushes require careful site selection and relatively minimal care for successful growth.

Sunlight Exposure

The butterfly bush tolerates both full sun to partial sun locations in the landscape. Full sun areas receive six or more hours of direct light each day. Partial sun garden sites feature four to six hours of sunlight each day.

Features

The blooms of this shrub appear on new wood. Full sun exposure ensures abundant blooms during the summer growing season. With correct siting of the butterfly bush, mature plants reach up to 8 feet high and wide.

Considerations

Full sun plants require consistent exposure to sunlight. Monitor surrounding shrubs and trees to ensure that the butterfly bush receives plenty of light. A mature landscape can create pockets of shade as tree canopies expand. Prune tree foliage or move the plant to a sunny location to reap the benefits of this shrub.

Recommendations

Take the time to prune back dying blooms on this shrub. Deadheading rejuvenates the butterfly bush and promotes blooming continually through the summer.

References

• Ohio State University: Butterfly Bush
• University of Illinois: Site Assessment: Sunlight