 New Mexico butterflies are strongly attracted to these hardy, drought tolerant flowering shrubs. Buddleias are very showy when in flower, from midsummer to fall, with long wands or round clusters of musk scented blossoms flowers. They are beautiful in flower arrangements.
Native to Asia, buddleias (pronounced BUD-lee-yuhz) are named after a famous 18th century British clergyman, Reverend Adam Buddle. The botanical name for the most commonly available butterfly bush Buddleia davidii, named for a French missionary who discovered this species growing in China and Japan.
Very fast growing, Buddleia davidii can grow 8 to 10 feet tall and wide in a single season. Its leaves are from 4 to 12 inches long and taper to a point. They are dark green on their upper sides, white and fuzzy underneath.
The “fountain” butterfly bush (Buddleia alternifolia) bush is adapted to a wide range of soils, and dry gravelly soils suit it perfectly. They produce thin and arching branches that can grow up to 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide. Spring brings wands of mildly musk-scented lilac-purple flowers. The leaves, which zigzag up their stems, can grow up to 4 inches long. They are dark green on their upper surfaces and grey and fuzzy underneath.
 It is very easy to keep a butterfly bush happy:
• Plant in full sun in well-drained sandy or gravelly soil.
• Dig the hole just as deep as the plant’s container and twice as wide.
• Fill the hole with a mixture of 1 part Payne’s Preferred 100% Natural Cotton Burr Soil Conditioner to 2 parts the soil dug from the hole where the bush will be planted.
• Mix into the hole either an all-purpose fertilizer or root stimulator — Payne’s carries a variety of brands and our staff can help you decide which is best for your plants.
• Water thoroughly. Every month thereafter until frost, apply more fertilizer (amount depends on the size of the plant) into the soil around each plant and water as before.
• Water butterfly bushes deeply 2 to 3 times a week the first season so that they get well established. Thereafter, water them 1 to 2 times a week depending on weather conditions.
• Each spring, before any leaves emerge, cut back the stems severely, to 1 foot above the ground. Don’t worry—butterfly bushes grow very quickly once pruned. Cutting them back hard every spring keeps the plants from developing bare “legs” with all the flowers clustered at the very top.
• After pruning, water thoroughly with a solution of SuperThrive™ (available at Payne’s) once a week for two weeks.
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Plant of the Week: Butterfly Bush
