Butterfly bush

Questions about butterfly bush

Does butterfly bush need sun or shade?

Butterfly bush 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. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does butterfly bush 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 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.

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 be planted?

6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many butterfly bush plants do I need?

Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.

Is butterfly bush 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 can I plant instead of butterfly bush?

Butterfly bush is listed as invasive in parts of North America, so the planner never uses it. These do the most similar job:

• Bush clover: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 3½ ft shorter, flowers late August to early October.
• Rose of Sharon: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 20 in taller, 12 in narrower.
• Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid July to early August, pink, not purple.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat butterfly bush?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

Will butterfly bush spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is high. Self-seeds on to riverbanks, roadsides and waste ground. Listed as invasive in the Pacific Northwest and many eastern states, and regulated as a noxious weed in Oregon and Washington. Seedless cultivars are the exception.

It is listed as invasive in parts of North America, and the planner never chooses it.

What flowers after butterfly bush?

Butterfly bush is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
• Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.

What does butterfly bush look like in winter?

Butterfly bush drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.

Is butterfly bush good for bees and butterflies?

Butterfly bush is visited by pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds.