Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
What Is a Butterfly Tree?
What Is a Butterfly Tree?. The butterfly tree (Buddleja davidii), or more commonly the butterfly bush, is a semi-evergreen to deciduous flowering shrub from Japan and northwestern China. The plant, also called summer lilac and buddleia, gets its name from its high attraction for butterflies. Butterfly bush is widely used as a foundation plant and...
The butterfly tree (Buddleja davidii), or more commonly the butterfly bush, is a semi-evergreen to deciduous flowering shrub from Japan and northwestern China. The plant, also called summer lilac and buddleia, gets its name from its high attraction for butterflies. Butterfly bush is widely used as a foundation plant and as a background planting with smaller-sized shrubs.
Plant Description
Butterfly tree or butterfly bush has a mature height of 6 to 12 feet, with a weeping growth habit. The shrub grows 4 to 15 feet wide and has 6- to 10-inch-long gray-green lance-shaped foliage that grows on long, arching stems. The hardy roots do not require very open areas to grow well, and thrive even under cramped conditions. The fast-growing shrub is highly heat-tolerant.
Flowers
The summer-blooming flowers are the main attraction of the butterfly bush. The small flowers cluster tightly to form 8- to 18-inch-long drooping cones that are heavy enough to make the stems bend under their weight. The fragrant flowers stay in bloom well into the first frost, and come in various shades of purple, red, pink or white, with orange throats. Certain cultivars also bloom with light blue or lavender blue flowers.
Attraction to Butterflies
Though the bright-colored flowers, with their nectar-filled centers, attract butterflies like a lot of other flowers, the attraction of the butterfly bush goes further than this. The plant also sends out a special honey-like scent that pulls in masses of butterflies like a magnet. After the scent attracts the butterflies, the insects start to feed on the nectar-rich blooms. The special scent of the butterfly tree also pulls in moths and hummingbirds.
Growth Requirements
The butterfly bush requires areas of full to partial sun for best growth and flower production. The plant is hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 10. Though the shrub dies down to the ground in Zones 5 and 6, it regrows rapidly in spring. Select a very well-drained and moderately dry soil. The shrub is not fussy about fertility or soil pH. Avoid wet soil, as this is likely to cause root rot. Deadheading the flower clusters prolongs bloom time. The shrub propagates easily with cuttings taken in summer.
