Is butterfly bush an invasive species? The answer is an unqualified yes, but some gardeners either are not aware of this or else plant it anyway for its ornamental attributes. Read on for more information about controlling invasive butterfly bushes as well as information about non-invasive butterfly bushes.
Is Butterfly Bush an Invasive Species?
There are pros and cons to growing butterfly bushes in the landscape.
- The pros: butterflies love the long panicles of bright flowers on the butterfly bush and the shrubs are very easy to grow.
- The cons: butterfly bush readily escapes cultivation and invades natural areas, crowding out native plants; what’s more, butterfly bush control is time-consuming and perhaps impossible in some cases.
An invasive species is usually an exotic plant introduced from another country as an ornamental. Invasive plants spread quickly in nature, invading wild regions and taking over growing space from native plants. Usually, these are easy-maintenance plants that spread rapidly by generous seed production, suckering, or cuttings that root readily. The butterfly bush is such a plant, introduced from Asia for its beautiful flowers. Do butterfly bushes spread? Yes, they do. The wild species Buddleia davidii spreads rapidly, invading riverbanks, reforested areas, and open fields. 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.
Controlling Invasive Butterfly Bushes
Butterfly bush control is very difficult. Although some gardeners argue that the shrub should be planted for the butterflies, anyone who has seen clogged rivers and overgrown fields of Buddleia realizes that controlling invasive butterfly bushes must be a top priority. Scientists and conservationists say that one potential way to begin controlling invasive butterfly bushes in your garden is to deadhead the flowers, one by one, before they release seeds. However, since these shrubs produce many, many blooms, this might prove a full-time job for a gardener. Growers are coming to our rescue, however. They have developed sterile butterfly bushes that are currently available in commerce. Even the state of Oregon has amended its ban to allow the sterile, non-invasive species to be sold. Look for the trademarked series Buddleia Lo & Behold and Buddleia Flutterby Grande.
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FAQs
Yes, controlling the spread of butterfly bushes can be challenging. They grow rapidly and their seeds spread aggressively into natural areas, making them a potential noxious weed. It's recommended that if you have butterfly bushes, you should remove the spent flower clusters to prevent seeding.
How to prevent butterfly bush from spreading? ›
Prevention: Don't let butterfly bush go to seed. Remove spent flowerheads in the fall before they disperse seeds (don't wait until spring) and discard these in the garbage to avoid spreading seeds. Consider using other species in your landscape (see the garden wise publication for suggestions).
Which butterfly bush is invasive? ›
Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush) is a shrub (family Buddlejaceae) with a cluster of pink to purple flowers and narrow leaves found in the San Francisco Bay area and coastal ranges of California, and is invasive in the Pacific Northwest. It is native to China. It favors riparian and bottomland habitat.
What is the problem with butterfly bushes? ›
Because butterfly bushes offer copious amounts of nectar, they become extremely attractive to pollinators, distracting them from other native co-flowering species, and reducing the native's reproductive success which eventually also harms the native's populations.
Why should you never plant a butterfly bush again? ›
Butterfly bush is an invasive plant, meaning it crowds out beneficial plants that have naturally grown in your community for centuries. This species originally from Asia readily takes over space where native North American plants would normally thrive.
Are butterfly bush roots invasive? ›
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 colonizing? ›
While often planted in yards and gardens as an ornamental, butterfly bush can colonize disturbed areas including roadsides, abandoned railroad tracks, pastures, riverbanks, and recently logged forests.
Are there non invasive butterfly bushes? ›
The good news is that plant breeders have been hard at work, and in the last few years have come up with a new generation of butterfly bushes – ones that are both compact and sterile, meaning less work and no invasiveness.
What states have banned butterfly bushes? ›
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.
Do all butterfly bushes spread? ›
Butterfly bush spreads easily because it produces thousands of seeds during the course of a growing season. If you insist on growing butterfly bush in your garden, do the right thing: deadhead Buddleia flowers as soon as the blooms are spent, all season long.
Why butterfly bushes are bad. Butterfly bushes are not good in gardens for two reasons: They spread rapidly: a single plant can send out hundreds of thousands of seeds. They take away space and food from crucial butterfly host plants, like milkweed.
How do you get rid of butterfly bushes? ›
Cut back all of the top growth, so you don't have branches in the way when you start digging. Then dig deeply around the rootball, and pull it up when it's fully loose. It should not be too difficult. Butterfly bushes don't have very dense, deep root systems, so they are fairly easy to remove.
What is the lifespan of a butterfly bush? ›
Typically, a butterfly bush will live about 10 years. You may find some plants that live longer than that, but it's a rare case. Proper care of a butterfly bush will help it live longer and thrive in your garden.
What happens if you don't cut back a butterfly bush? ›
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.
What color butterfly bush attracts the most butterflies? ›
There is no plant more attractive to butterflies than the butterfly bush. Best colors are blue, purple or similar colors. The least attractive color is white. It has been a wonderful year for the yellow/black Tiger Swallowtails.
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.
How do you keep a butterfly bush compact? ›
You may pinch back long shoots to help control size. You may also prune back long stems that have finished blooming by half. You can cut back hard again next year in early spring. One year, I cut back a 'White Profusion' butterfly bush in late fall from 10 feet to about a foot.
Do butterfly bushes spread? ›
Butterfly bush spreads easily because it produces thousands of seeds during the course of a growing season. If you insist on growing butterfly bush in your garden, do the right thing: deadhead Buddleia flowers as soon as the blooms are spent, all season long.
How do I keep my butterfly bush small? ›
Flowers are produced on new growth, so size can be controlled by cutting back quite hard in early spring, just before leaf buds begin to grow. While pruning is not absolutely necessary, butterfly bushes tend to bloom better and keep a better shape if pruned hard each spring.
