
How to grow butterfly bush
Buddleja davidii
When to plant butterfly bush
Plant this deciduous shrub while dormant, in fall or early spring. Extension guidance rates fall (early enough for roots to establish before the ground freezes) as the best time and spring, just before growth begins, as the next best.
Butterfly Bush is timed by season rather than your frost dates, so the planting calendar does not generate ZIP-specific dates for it. Check the cited sources below to fine-tune for your area.
Growing conditions
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Spacing
- 48 to 180 in apart
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6 to 8
Common problems
- invasive in some regions
- spider mites
- reseeds aggressively
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (NC State Extension): Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center: Planting Shrubs Correctly (HGIC 1052)
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