Butterfly bush
By: Garden Gate staff
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‘Ellen’s Blue’ Buddleja davidii
This cultivar has silvery green foliage and deep blue flowers that are, like all butterfly bush blooms, tube-shaped spikes. Plant shrubs in any spot with well-drained soil and full sun — they thrive in hot, dry conditions.
Blooms Deep blue flowers with orange eyes from summer to frost
Size 4 to 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 5 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
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‘Harlequin’
‘Harlequin’ has ivory and green variegated foliage with red-purple flowers. Its colorful foliage catches the eye, while butterfly bush’s honey-scented flowers will draw visitors closer.
Blooms Red-purple flowers with orange eyes from summer to frost
Size 4 to 6 feet tall, 3 to 5 feet wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 6 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
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Lo & Behold™ ‘Blue Chip’
Want butterfly bush in a tight spot? Try a smaller, more compact cultivar, such as ‘Blue Chip’ — one of the exciting newer developments to this shrub. You can create a bold, flower-filled ground cover with these dwarf varieties. And since butterfly bush tolerates lots of sun, plant low growers along an area with lots of stone or concrete, like a driveway.
Blooms Blue flowers with orange eyes from summer to frost
Size 20 inches tall and wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 5 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
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