New Dwarf Butterfly Bush
People in the nursery trade have high hopes for a new miniature butterfly bush that Proven Winners is introducing this spring.
“I think it will be a major landscape item this spring,” says Tina Anton, manager of annuals and perennials at Down to Earth nursery in Pomona. “It’s one of the plants I’m featuring.”
Unlike regular butterfly bushes, which reach a height of 6 to 10 feet by the end of the summer, this new one called ‘Blue Chip’ tops out at 2 to 3 feet. It’s perfect for small gardens and containers.
“It’s a true dwarf, so you can use it as an underplanting under flowering trees, such as dogwoods, or in a landscape way,” Anton says. “It blooms from summer all the way to frost.”
Proven Winners sent me a couple of these plants to try last year and they bloomed and bloomed and bloomed — very impressive for a first-year plant. But I must say the two of them looked a little small and lonely. I think planting them en masse may be the way to go.
‘Blue Chip,’ which has fragrant lavender-blue flowers and dark green foliage, is the first in the new Lo & Behold series of miniature buddleias from Proven Winners.
Known botanically as Buddleia x ‘Blue Chip,’ this butterfly bush has the same familiar characteristics of arching branches and long upright panicle-shaped flowers that bob in the wind. Like other buddleias, this one is deer resistant, cold hardy and drought tolerant. Unlike the others, it doesn’t need to be deadheaded.
Buddleias like absolutely full sun. As their name suggests, butterflies love them; so do hummingbirds and bees.
Prune them in late winter, after new foliage begins to appear on the lower branches.
Print
| 
Email
Advertisements
I just wanted to thank you for this post.
wanted to know . . . I live in Michigan, and had extensive landscaping done last year and part of it was 12 dwarf butterfly bushes I LOVE THEM!!!! BUT I did not prune mine will I have an issue in spring?
You’re fine. You should not have pruned them last fall. Wait until you see a few new leaves near the base, in the next few weeks, and then cut back by about two/thirds.
I bought one of these last spring and planted it in a large container. It is a beautiful plant. My question is how I can I best overwinter this bush? Would I be better off to put it in my dark garage, in my unheated inclosed patio, or in a dark fruitroom in my basement that stays about 50 degrees. I really want to have this bush alive in the spring. Thank you.
This is a pretty tough, cold-tolerant perennial that would do fine if left in the ground. But in a container, you’re probably right to bring it in. Any of the three would probably be ok, but I would favor the patio.
I have a full size butterfly bush and it’s just too big. We’ve cut it back many times and it just keeps leaving it’s boundries. I would like a dwarf butterfly bush. I live in Virginia near Richmond or Williamsburg. Do you know of any stores that might have these plants come spring? If not, where can I order one? Thanks for any help you can give. Ava Jo Butcher
I live near St. Louis Mo. I bought one of these last summer and it did great. This spring I pruned it back but it seems to be growing back funny this year. All the stalks are growing from the outside of the root ball and the center has no growth at all. It hasn’t bloomed yet so I don’t know if it will fill in more when that happens or not. Any suggestions?
Pkabted 4 dwarfs, variety. The cat goes nuts trying to eat them. any ideas. beautiful flowers.
just potted 5 plants, variety. beautiful. cat eats them up. any idea.
Cats love nepeta (catmint, catnip)—maybe try planting that as a decoy??
I spent many pleasant hours watching the butterflies flit about our son’s butterfly bush when we visited him last fall in Savannah, GA. I would like to add a blue chip variety butterfly bush plant to our garden in Wayne, PA. If you can sell me one please quote price delivered and your mailing addess to audreyly@aol.com. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter. Neil K. Yerger 7 Farm Road Wayne PA 19087-3303