Butterfly bush 'Miss Molly'
Buddleja 'Miss Molly' · Scrophulariaceae
Flower spikes of a deep, rich red-pink, the nearest to red of any butterfly bush, on a compact plant from midsummer to frost.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early July to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around butterfly bush 'Miss Molly'
The planner designed this bed around butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' × 1, red
- 2 Common thyme × 11, lavender
- 3 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 6 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 7 Eastern bee balm × 3, pink
- 8 Easter lily × 4, white
- 9 Grecian windflower × 8, blue
- 10 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
Why this plant
- The only red.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do winter heath and little bluestem 'The Blues'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to persian fritillary (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 14 weeks. From early July to early October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With false sunflower 'Summer Sun' and Easter lily in early July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' and Tatarian aster 'Jindai', the tallest plants on the plan. Common thyme is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A sterile hybrid that sets almost no seed, so it can be planted where the common butterfly bush is banned. Cut it to knee height each spring.
- Butterflies without the seedlings
- Late-summer colour
- A sunny mixed border
What to plant with butterfly bush 'Miss Molly'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for 10 weeks, from mid July; spires rising out of its mound.
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for 10 weeks, from early July; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': in flower together for nine weeks, from late July; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about butterfly bush 'Miss Molly'
Does butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' need sun or shade?
Butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early July to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Early July to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early July to early October |
| Zone 7 | Late June to early October |
| Zone 8 | Late June to early October |
| Zone 9 | Late June to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What flowers after butterfly bush 'Miss Molly'?
Butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
What does butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' look like in winter?
Butterfly bush 'Miss Molly' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
More Buddleja
- Butterfly bush Buddleja davidii
- Butterfly bush 'Black Knight' Buddleja davidii 'Black Knight'
- Butterfly bush 'Blue Chip' Buddleja 'Blue Chip'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early July to early October; upright spires; red, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; grey-green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.