Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii
Family Scrophulariaceae
On a hot afternoon a butterfly bush in bloom looks staged: honey-scented spikes from summer to frost, swallowtails and monarchs crowding every one. It rockets from a small pot to a real shrub in a single season, and the long wands cut well for the vase.
Two honest footnotes: it's the butterflies' cocktail bar, not their nursery, so pair it with milkweed and other host plants; and choose the modern sterile cultivars, since old seedy types have escaped in some states. Do both and you've built a legitimate butterfly stop. Plant it beside the patio.
⚠ Invasive in parts of the USCheck your state before planting.
Full Sun
Low water
Very Fast growth
Attracts butterflies
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing butterfly bush? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries butterfly bush — Buddleja davidii, print Nº 79, “Butterfly Bush.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what butterfly bush actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-9Butterfly Bush · Common problems
Common butterfly bush problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Spider Mites in drought
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Root Rot in wet winters
Butterfly Bush · Growing & propagation
Growing butterfly bush
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Low
Soil- Well-drained, lean · pH 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer- None
Rich soil = floppy monster
Pruning- Cut to 12 in each early spring (blooms on new wood; often dies back z5 anyway)
Deadhead religiously — it doubles bloom AND stops the invasive self-seeding.
Spacing- 5-6 ft
How to plant & propagate butterfly bush
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Butterfly Bush · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Butterfly Bush · Yearly calendar
The butterfly bush year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomPruneBloomJune
PruneMarch to April
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Butterfly Bush · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Buddleja davidii
Butterfly Bush in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
- Nectary/insectary
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Bees
Habitat- Dry/rocky
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What butterfly bush is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Use- Butterfly nectar
- Use
- Fast screens
- Use
- Long vase spikes
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Butterfly Bush · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a butterfly bush variety
'Miss Molly' (sterile, red); 'Pugster' series (dwarf, sterile); 'Black Knight' (classic, seeds — deadhead!)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
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Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Buddleja davidii
- Plant family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Growth habit
- Shrub · Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- BUDA2
- Invasive risk
- High; check your state
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Butterfly Bush
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Butterfly Bush questions, answered straight.
Is butterfly bush safe for kids and pets?
Butterfly Bush is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
How do you propagate butterfly bush?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Is butterfly bush invasive?
It can be invasive in some regions — give it room or a barrier, and check your state's invasive-species list before planting.
Elsewhere
Where butterfly bush sits in the library.
Rose
Hydrangea
Common Lilac
Forsythia