How to Grow a Butterfly Bush From Seed
As the name suggests, the butterfly bush is highly attractive to butterflies and also is attractive to bees and hummingbirds. The bush, also called summer lilac, has long stalks of leaves from which lavender, pink, yellow or white flower clusters emerge. In all but the most frigid climates, the plant is an evergreen and retains its foliage in winter months. The plant is fairly easy to grow from seed and germinates quickly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Butterfly bush seeds
- Seed tray
- Perlite
- Vermiculite
- Sand
- Garden spade
- Spray bottle
Instructions
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1
Start the seeds indoors approximately three weeks before the last expected frost in the spring.
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2
Pour equal parts of sand, vermiculite and perlite into a bucket. Mix the materials thoroughly with a hand spade.
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3
Fill each compartment of a seed tray with the bucket mixture until the compartments are 75 percent full.
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4
Water the seed tray until the mixture is moistened to the bottom of each compartment.
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5
Insert one butterfly bush seed into each seed tray compartment. Press it into the soil gently with your finger. Do not cover the seed with soil as it needs light to germinate.
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6
Place the seed tray in a location that receives direct sun and maintains a temperature of 70 degrees F.
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7
Mist the seeds daily with water from a spray bottle. The butterfly bush seeds with germinate in approximately two weeks.
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8
Transplant the plants into larger pots once they reach 3 to 4 inches tall. Plant them in the ground once the threat of frost is over.
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Tips & Warnings
Perlite and vermiculite are available at any home improvement store or garden center.
References
- Photo Credit butterfly on butterfly bush image by Scott Slattery from Fotolia.com
