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Our butterfly bush grows below our front window, and last year, we counted seven Monarch butterflies in it at once PLUS hummingbirds and a hummingbird nest.
We have one in our backyard and it does produce really pretty flowers that last for a large part of late summer. It can get big and dominate part of your garden but I have cut it back (almost to nothing) at the end of the season and it doesn't start to grow back until the weather is warm.
We've had out Butterfly bushes X3 for about 4 years now.
iread that your suppose to cut them down in Winter to the ground.
PROBLEM... here it is almost July 1st...neither of the 3 bushes have any green on them. They just look like dead stumps.
Any suggestions ???
Midwest has had PLENTY of rain & sun, now heat & humidity...but no BF bushes.
I had a butterfly bush that got out of control, so I cut it back and transplanted it to a different area where it would have more room.
It WAS fragrant. (The dog dug it up and killed it, unfortunately, thus the past tense.) It was the "Black Knight" variety which is a gorgeous dark purple - see link. They do get invasive and they're deciduous, so there is nothing to look at in the winter.
But they do attract pollinators, and if you're a veg gardener, that's a great thing! And I used them a lot in flower arrangements for color, the beauty of the flowers, and the fragrance. I am going to get another one to replace it.
Sillypups, it sounds like yours is gone I would think by now it would at least be producing leaves... ours has started really blooming. They really do attract butterflies! Bees too, so you don't want to put them too close to a sitting area. Ours has a light scent. Snapped this shot on Saturday...
I have 7 Butterfly Bushes, 1 yellow, 2 pink, and 5 purple. I prune them in the spring just as they are starting to show signs of new growth. I leave about a foot of old growth and they do fine. They have had blooms here in west Tenn now for a month. They bloom on new wood. I left mine unpruned 1 year and they still bloomed, but they started to get really big, and all the blooms were on the new growth.
I had a butterfly bush that got out of control, so I cut it back and transplanted it to a different area where it would have more room.
It WAS fragrant. (The dog dug it up and killed it, unfortunately, thus the past tense.) It was the "Black Knight" variety which is a gorgeous dark purple - see link. They do get invasive and they're deciduous, so there is nothing to look at in the winter.
But they do attract pollinators, and if you're a veg gardener, that's a great thing! And I used them a lot in flower arrangements for color, the beauty of the flowers, and the fragrance. I am going to get another one to replace it.
This is somewhat off topic but I planted two butterfly bushes last year, and I also planted two bee balms. The bee balms came back and are taking over but I have yet to see the butterfly bush. Could the bee balm have killed off the butterfly bush?
We have two Butterfly Bushes, and I cut them back each winter, way back each winter, doesn't seem to make much difference, they grow taller than the house each year, and, that part of the yard always smells of honey. Butterflies, Hummers, Honey Bees (help with the garden) and some fancy moths as well.
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Never had this Butterfly Bush problem...
I would think by now it would at least be producing leaves... ours has started really blooming. They really do attract butterflies! Bees too, so you don't want to put them too close to a sitting area. Ours has a light scent. Snapped this shot on Saturday...
