How to Raise a Purple Butterfly Bush
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- The purple butterfly bush, also known as buddleia, is an easy-to-grow shrub, which thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 5 and warmer. The plant can grow as tall as 12 feet and blooms in summer with spikes of flowers that are 6 to 24 inches long. The common name, butterfly bush, originates from the fact that the plant is very attractive to butterflies, which feed on its nectar. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County advises that the butterfly bush does best in well-drained soil and warns against growing it in exposed spots where cold winter weather can kill it.
Instructions
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Clear weeds and larger stones from a sunny spot in your garden, in the spring when frost no longer threatens. Add a 3-inch layer of well-rotted compost to the soil, then dig it in to a depth of 9 to 12 inches.
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Dig a hole that is larger than the container the buddleia currently occupies, about 6 inches deeper and 6 inches wider. Remove the plant carefully from the pot, disturbing the root ball as little as possible.
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Place the buddleia in the hole and backfill it with compost. Cover the roots to a depth of 6 inches. Firm down the topsoil and water the plant thoroughly.
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Water when the topsoil is dry to the touch during the buddleia's first year. Established plants only need watering in the driest of conditions, when there has been no rain for more than two weeks.
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Cut back the bush when flowering has finished in the fall. Pruning can be quite radical. Even when cut back almost to the ground, buddleias will grow back in the spring. Some varieties will grow 5 or 6 feet in a season.
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Tips & Warnings
Remove the blooms as they wither during the summer to encourage more flowering.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit buddleia image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
