The Butterfly Bush or Summer Lilac is enjoyed by many with its color, long bloom season (July into October), as well as how it attracts humming birds and butterflies! However older varieties were prone to being very large and could reseed themselves very well. The reseeding part for our area wasn't too bad (because of our drier climate) but over on the West Side it became invasive enough that Oregon deemed our friend a noxious weed. Existing dwarf varieties never sold well except for white because the color of the flowers was never vibrant. Well now Horticulturalists have bred in some improvements first smaller mature sizes with great color and sterile blooms. Now we have a whole slew of yard friendly Butterfly Bushes with good colors!
Butterfly Bush is an easy care plant needing only moderate water to thrive, well drained soil, fertilizer and full sun to light shade. They bloom best when well fed (a Rhody or Flower Fertilizer works great), watered regularly with weekly deep soaks, and the spent flowers removed monthly to promote new flowers. Every few years prune them back hard, like a perennial almost to the ground, in late winter to rejuvenate their branching habit. Occasionally when our winters reach negative temperatures they can freeze back to the ground. Not to worry they come back from the roots and reach their size again quickly for the summer flower show.
Here are some varieties to look into that we will be offering Spring 2012!
Lo and Behold Blue Chip- A truly dwarf Butterfly Bush the only reaches 2 feet tall and wide! Great for borders or small places that need lots of color. The pastel blue flowers go well with yellow Daylilies or Coreopsis. Also it works well in front of Boxwoods and Arborvitaes with it Grey green foliage.
Lo and Behold Purple Haze- Another fine dwarf reaching 3 feet tall and wide however it has darker purple flowers than Blue Chip. At a trade show it looked great and the plant vendors are buzzing about this purple dwarf. Purple Haze can be used for borders, near porches or patios, perennial beds or just where color is needed most of the summer but space is lacking.
Miss Ruby- My favorite of the new dwarf Butterfly Bushes with intense pink purple flowers. It is striking and reaches 5 to 6 tall and wide. An outstanding focal point for flower beds or next to the house.
Miss Molly-A hot pink red dwarf butterfly bush that reaches 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. This variety is new this year and should be fun to see, if it's anything like Miss Ruby it should be exciting. Same design uses can be used as with Miss Ruby.
Adonis Purple-A purple blue flowering dwarf the reaches 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Adonis has the traditional blue purple that butterfly bushes are famous for. Can be used to compliment yellow, white, or light pink roses, perennials or annuals.
Asian Moon-A blue lavender butterfly bush that still has some to it, reaching 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. Really pretty and heavy bloomer.
The next method that we use is packing plants into blocks and surrounding those blocks with straw. For these plants cold is not an issue because they are rated USDA zone 4 (-30 degrees F) or lower; far colder than what we ever get in Tri-Cities. The straw keeps the winter winds from drying out the plants, preventing drought stress from occurring. Packing them tight makes it easier to place straw around the plants but it also makes it easier to water the plants in the winter.
