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.

A single butterfly bush flower can produce 40,000 seeds and each bush is filled with many flowers. In these natural areas, the butterfly bush becomes an invasive plant. It's considered a noxious weed in some regions because it can out-compete native plants and destroy habitat.

'Blue Chip' stays under three feet tall without any pruning, and blooms continuously from mid summer to frost without deadheading. It is frost tolerant, non-invasive and very easy to grow.

But pruning does seem to promote better flowering. Leave the woody stems and branches in place during the winter because they provide some protection against the cold. Only prune the plant back in the spring after green leaf buds have appeared. Cut the stems back just above those buds.

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.

The fibrous root system of the butterfly bush is rather shallow, taking advantage of the available water and nutrients close to the topsoil. The shrub could grow to four meters or 6 to 12 feet tall and spread a good four to five meters or 4 to 15 feet across.

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!

It forms thick, shrubby thickets that preclude the development of other native species such as willow. Butterfly bush is considered invasive in many states, as well as England and New Zealand. Some states, like Oregon, have even banned sales of the plant.

Although butterfly bushes (Buddleja davidii) are not edible, they are no more toxic than any garden plant. They should be safe to plant where children, dogs, cats, and other animals live. In fact, butterfly bushes are deer resistant. They attract and feed nectar to hummingbirds and butterflies.

Where is the best place to plant a butterfly bush? ›

Butterfly bushes are full sun plants. That means they should get at least six hours of bright sun each day. It doesn't need to come all at once – it can be in chunks throughout the day. In very hot climates, a bit of afternoon shade is permissible.

The real harm of invasive butterfly bushes

The most commonly-banned invasive type of butterfly bush is the Buddleia davidii, which has been declared invasive on most of the east and west coasts of the US, as well as England and New Zealand.

Left unpruned, large butterfly bushes can become “second story” plants: their flowers form way up at the top so you can't enjoy them unless you have a second story window. The warmer your climate, the more you should cut back your butterfly bush each spring.

Butterfly bushes should be cut back to a foot tall to promote new growth and the best blooms. You can cut the shrub back to ground level; however, you take the risk of late frost or freeze killing new growth and losing the plant. Hard pruning is done in late February or early March depending on your climate.

Butterfly bushes do not need to be pruned every year. In fact, you only need to prune them when they get too large for the space allotted. But since butterfly bushes only bloom on new growth many gardeners prune them severely each spring to encourage lots of new growth and lots of flowers.

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.

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.

Has strong stems and upright habit and matures at 4 to 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Great for borders and landscape plantings. New plantings require more frequent watering than established plants. Wind, temperature and soil are factors to consider in watering.

The blue butterfly bush is an open, sprawling evergreen shrub that can grow to 10 feet tall and wide. With careful pruning it can be kept much smaller.