This Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Is for You

[@lisfong]

I'm excited to try these in Montana! Glad to know they can take the heat because the spot I want to put them gets the full southern/western sun and I'm hoping that will make them feel at home!

[@pwcolorchoice]

Yay! They're certainly sun-loving plants ☀☺ and the pollinators will thank you 😄🦋

[@growformegardening]

We loved this video! Natalie is the best!

[@pwcolorchoice]

Yes, she is! Thanks for watching, friends! 🥰

[@ginafriend1690]

Hi and thanks for the indepth history lesson. Im not sure of which Butterfly Bush my Ma has planted, but it sure is fun to wave your hand across the top of foliage, and watch the Monarchs rise like a cloud, to go back down into! 🌱💚

[@pwcolorchoice]

That is one of the best feelings! Watching them fly around and enjoying the plants can be so mesmerizing 😍🦋

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Another incredible species video from Natalie!

[@pwcolorchoice]

She's the best! 🤗❤☀

[@kathleenberkheiser264]

So much good information. I love the smaller Proven Winners buddleia varieties and would like to add at least one to my garden.

[@pwcolorchoice]

They're fantastic plants! Nice to have their versatility and size in the landscape ☺

[@francescacanfield5098]

I’m in Zone 9B and my Pugster never lost its leaves. Do I still prune? It looks amazing right now

[@pwcolorchoice]

Butterfly bush can be evergreen in mild climates like yours. Even though it may look great, we would recommend pruning it soon, before new growth really gets going - this will help keep a more compact habit and give you flowers all over the plant instead of just the tips. ☺

[@vickiesorenson2383]

When should I prune the butterfly bush in northern Calif ?

[@carolinapalomares9649]

Great info!

[@pwcolorchoice]

🤗🦋☀

[@TigerMa75]

I’m from the UK and I love Buddleja(too used to that spelling in the UK)! So many wonderful subspecies and I have quite the collection now. Of course, the davidii has been given a misaligned reputation as it’s really a pioneer plant. It only appears in poor soil in the UK. It has been discovered to improve the soil and encourages more plants to appear. As the soil improves the plant will die and self seed to improve soil elsewhere. So not only providing nectar for bees and butterflies but a soil improver….whats not to love!

[@pwcolorchoice]

😍 Butterfly bushes are such lovely plants! 🤗

[@SameeraChughtaisBackyardGarden]

Excellent sharing

[@DoubleVisionHomestead]

They really are beautiful

[@Flower_hoarder]

🌳🦋LOVE THEM‼️🦋🌳

[@pwcolorchoice]

🥰😄🦋☀

[@johnwaterman8884]

Good advice for those of us in 6 kansas

[@pwcolorchoice]

Happy you found this video helpful! ☺

[@kryptikus29]

Pugsters are fun and wonderful to view!

[@pwcolorchoice]

You got that right! 😄🤗

[@evecampbell7744]

Good video! Thank you.

[@pwcolorchoice]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching ☺

[@Collington23]

Would love to see y’all come out with a buddleia that’s resistant to nematodes, which are a big problem for us Florida gardeners. There’s a lot of potential in buddleia x Lewisiana which is evergreen with beautiful, yellow blooms.

[@pwcolorchoice]

That would be wonderful! Our breeding team is always working on more disease/pest-resistant species and buddleia is certainly included in that so hopefully one day! ☺

[@Angie-ci1lp]

Very interesting

[@kimwilliamson7880]

What was the type of butterfly bush featured at the beginning of this video? In my 6A garden the cultivars I’be grown have much smaller racemes which partially brown while unopened buds remain. We need varieties that bloom early and constantly.Suggestions?

[@pwcolorchoice]

That is Pugster Amethyst at the beginning of this video. As far as early blooming goes, that's mostly a matter of climate - they start to bloom when it's warm enough and the days are long enough. It sounds like the flowers may be browning due to too much water, so consider cutting that back if possible. Also be aware that white-flowering butterfly bushes do brown sooner than others, so stick to colorful varieties for the best impact.

[@mireillewilson5911]

Thank you! Very helpful video

[@pwcolorchoice]

Yay! Happy to hear you found this video helpful 🤗

[@emeldawada9120]

Beautiful

[@annalevenson7234]

When do you cut off the used blossoms that have turned brown and dried out?

[@pwcolorchoice]

You can remove the spent flowers at any time ☺

[@valjalava1951]

Iam interested in the punster series I think I would need 3 would I do them all the same color it’s not a very big garden and what is a favorite color

[@pwcolorchoice]

You don't have to do all the same color! It all depends on your personal preference - if you want a more cohesive look throughout the garden I would recommend getting three of the same color, but if you want more variety you can always get different colors to plant ☺

[@desifoodforfamily5411]

Beautiful wiew beautiful flowers 🌹🌼🌹🌼 on

[@denisemcnaught7784]

should we deadhead the spent blooms?

[@pwcolorchoice]

That's a matter of your personal preference! It isn't necessary but you may do so to keep a more clean look to the plant ☺

[@MickF04]

It sounds like the Pugster series is not allowed for sale in Oregon. If I read correctly (and it might have been about some other Buddleia variety), Pugster is labeled as "sterile" in the US, but technically has a very low seed germination rate (less than 0.3%?). If true, for most of the country that's probably as good as sterile.

[@pwcolorchoice]

We cannot generalize about the Pugster series, as each individual variety varies a lot in its sterility. We are confident that Pugster Blue is sterile but not the others yet. That said, whether a variety is approved for sale in Oregon depends on the plant meeting their requirements and passing their germination tests, and that takes time, so there is no approval date on the horizon at this point.

[@MickF04]

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you for the information. As it is, we planted two Pugster Blues this spring. While available for sale here in Central Texas, it is still nice to hear that they are considered sterile. We already have a few clusters of blooms, with some butterflies visiting in recent day, including a couple of Monarchs. :)

[@tricianilsson6870]

What about feeding? The pugster tag says to feed, yet I learned that they do not like to be fertilized. Thank you.

[@pwcolorchoice]

You can apply a granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs in late winter/early spring when the soil is workable. ☺

[@peggyvessell9247]

Do they need to be deadheaded like some other plants ?

[@pwcolorchoice]

You can deadhead them after the flowers have bloomed and are spent. It isn't necessary but most people do prefer the look of them after deadheading ☺

[@tricianilsson6870]

What about feeding? I have heard no feeding, yet the pugster tag says to feed. Help!

[@pwcolorchoice]

You can apply a granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs in late winter/early spring when the soil is workable. ☺

[@JoseMartinez-df2db]

Wait! Buddleia are Native to North America?

[@janking2762]

This is a deeply invasive plant that outcompetes native plants that support native insects in North America. There are many better choices for color in the garden. It’s on the Delaware invasive plants watchlist and will probably be eventually moved to the invasive species list. I’m really sorry that this video couldn’t recommend a more ecologically friendly plant.

[@zaiaisho6409]

For a plant to be considered invasive really depends on where it is cultivated. Here in Ontario, Canada, Butterfly Bush are knocked back by really hard winters and their seeds do not germinate as prolifically as they would if they were planted in some of the warmer growing zones 8, 9 and up. A plant in Florida and Oregon, Washington, California way would definitely be growing somewhere where it would pose more of an invasive potential threat.

[@kkeenan536]

No mention of when or if to fertilize

[@pwcolorchoice]

For fertilizing, an application in early spring and then again in late spring/early summer is best. We recommend using a granular rose or garden fertilizer.

[@kkeenan536]

@@pwcolorchoice thank you 👍

[@pwcolorchoice]

@@kkeenan536 Of course! Thank you for asking ☺

[@lycong23]

All this time I trim it like a tree lol. My grow so high and I though it supposed to be like that. Time to cut down

[@pwcolorchoice]

Haha, yeah they can grow quite tall if not pruned!

[@webwhisper2701]

… not if it is not recommended for your plant zone…natives are always better choices

[@tinacruz9162]

Long winded explanation for a wonderful plant.