Butterfly bush
Buddleja davidii
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is a shrub suited to the Colorado Front Range. It matures to about 5–8 ft tall and 5–8 ft wide, needs low to medium water, and prefers full sun. Butterfly + pollinator magnet. Often top-kills here, regrows from base.
low to medium water5–8 ft tall and 5–8 ft wideXeric / water-wiseDeer-resistant
Photos
At a glance
- Botanical name
- Buddleja davidii
- Variety / cultivar
- 'Pink Delight', 'Black Knight', 'Miss Molly'
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature size
- 5–8 ft tall and 5–8 ft wide
- Water needs
- low to medium water
- Sun
- full sun
- Colorado native
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Soil
- loam, sandy
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hail tolerance
- moderate
- Wind tolerance
- moderate
- Salt tolerance
- moderate
- Bloom color
- purple, pink, white
- Bloom time
- mid summer, late summer, early fall
- Pollinator value
- high
Planting & establishment
Blooms on new wood — cut back hard each spring. Often dies to ground in our winters; treat as a herbaceous perennial in zone 5.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Butterfly bush good for the Colorado Front Range?
- Yes. Butterfly bush is included in the Front Range Plant Finder as a shrub suited to Colorado's Front Range.
- How big does Butterfly bush get?
- It matures to about 5–8 ft tall and 5–8 ft wide.
- How much water does Butterfly bush need?
- It needs low to medium water once established.
- Is Butterfly bush native to Colorado?
- No — it is not a Colorado native, but it grows well on the Front Range.
