Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush
The magic of Buddleia, and why butterflies can’t resist it. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is a shrub-like plant that looks sort of like a compact lilac, grows quickly and blooms in mid-summer. But the name tells you all about it: Butterflies just can't resist the flowers, and flock to the plants when they're in bloom.
It’s been a sensation in American gardens for years, and no wonder. Butterfly bush is easy to grow, blooms profusely, and has that magical quality: Butterflies can't resist it.
Here's why: It's not just the pretty flowers that attract the butterflies, like so many other bright blooms. Buddleias emit a special honey-scented fragrance that lures butterflies like a moth to a flame, and then once there, they find the flowers super-rich in nectar.
A butterfly bush in the garden will often be seen with a mass of butterflies on the flowers, especially during hot sunny afternoons. Buddleias attract other insects too, like moths, and the reddish ones strongly attract hummingbirds. So it's more than a name; it's actually a botanical phenomenon.
Easy and quick to grow. Butterfly bushes are popular and hardy from Zone 5 south to Zone In the colder zones, they die to the ground each year like a perennial plants, but in more southern regions, they are somewhat evergreen. In the warmer states, butterfly bushes often grow to 10 or 12 ft. high, and require pruning to keep them shapely. They’re happy in almost any soil and prefer moist ground, but will also do well in dryer spots. They need plenty of sun, but will be fine with some shade in the warmer areas. All this tells you that this plant is a tough one, and should be easy to grow in your garden. A well-grown specimen can be a magnificent “fountain” of flowers, since the stems with heavy flower clusters tend to arch in all directions.
And beside purple and blue butterfly bush there is also orange Butterfly Bush. But
The colors and named varieties.
You’ll find pink, white, blue, and some very beautiful new bi-colors. Buddeleia 'Bicolor' created a sensation when it burst on the scene a few years ago. It is one of the first with bi-colored blooms, often developing long clusters that range from bluish to raspberry to bright orange as you look from the tip to the base of the flower spike.
Source http://www.floridata.com/
