Buddleia Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip Jr.' | Summer Lilac | Wayside Gardens (2024)

FAQs

How tall does Buddleia blue chip grow? ›

Broadleaf, deciduous, low-growing, multi-branched, compact shrub, to a height of about 2.5 ft, with a spreading habit.

Non-invasive. Dwarf, spreading habit. Deer-resistant.

Butterfly bushes grow and spread aggressively, often out-competing native plants. This can disrupt local ecosystems and decrease food and habitat availability for beneficial insects and other wildlife.

The Buddleja davidii, Buddleja x weyeriana and Buddleja globosa varieties are the best options.

Buddleia plants produce a large number of seeds (up to 3 million per plant per year!) that are dispersed by the wind and can spread to a large area in a short space of time. The seeds can also spread by animals, water currents and vehicles.

Buddleia has deep roots and produces a lot of seeds, which allows it to spread and take over an area easily. Removed from its natural environment, the butterfly bush can become an aggressive invader.

The states of Washington and Oregon have banned it along with many of the new varieties of Buddleia due to this aggressiveness and it cannot be shipped to, or sold in those states.

Although eye-catching, hardy, and seemingly helpful to butterflies and other pollinators, Butterfly Bush is far from beneficial; in fact it's actually an invasive species that can impair the health of our local ecosystems.

Is Butterfly Bush Toxic for Dogs? While they are not edible, they are also not poisonous to dogs, cats, or humans. Eating a large quantity (we mean a lot) of leaves, stems, or flowers can cause an upset stomach. It is certainly safe for your dogs!

Light: Butterfly bushes grow and flower best in full sun. They will grow fine in part shade, especially in warmer climates, but their flowering may be reduced. Soil: Butterfly Bushes are not particular about the soil conditions, as long as it drains well.

Do hummingbirds like butterfly bushes? ›

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)

A shrub that has a prime place in sunny hummingbird gardens is Buddleia davidii. It can get 6 to 12 feet tall with a spread of 4 to 15 feet in warm climates. For some growers, that is too big, so consider pruning it back to the ground in late winter or early spring.

Wildlife benefits: Silver Fountain Butterfly Bush attracts bees, butterflies, wasps, hornets, lady beetles, lacewings and moths.

The scientists chose the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) for their experiment because it's a very hardy plant that flowers throughout the year, and mosquitoes are attracted to it.

Butterflies like to dine in the sun, so focus your attention on the sunny spots in your yard. Generally speaking, butterflies prefer flowers with flat tops (such as zinnias, dahlias and coneflowers) and those that grow in clusters (such as lilacs and garden phlox).

Butterfly bushes and hydrangeas make a powerful duo with their big, bodacious blooms and care-free nature! Come summer, both shrubs are bursting with hundreds of blooms. The white flowers from Incrediball® Smooth Hydrangea add a refreshing contrast to the jewel-tone purple blooms of Pugster Periwinkle® Butterfly Bush.

'Blue Chip' stays under three feet tall without any pruning, and blooms continuously from mid summer to frost without deadheading.

Butterfly bush is usually planted from potted nursery starts or planted from seeds in the spring. It is a very fast-growing plant that usually reaches its full mature size within a single growing season.

Buddleia Blue Chip can be pruned back hard after flowering, and this will help the plant to become ever more compact and produce more bloom for the following year. In the late winter months, the shrub can be pruned all the way to the ground to encourage a more abundant flower production in the summer.

Butterfly bush is known for its rapid growth, up to two feet in height per year or more. It can reach its mature size in just one or two growing seasons.