Bought a new plant called "Blue Butterflies" (landscape, growing, Butterfly Bush)

[Luvvarkansas]

That's what the guy at the nursery called it...he didn't know the botanical name (I like to know it when I buy....sometimes gives you a clue about how it will behave in your yard or where to plant it). So I get home and do some "digging" and find it's a clerodendrum ugandense.

Floridata: Clerodendrum ugandense

Anyone have any experience growing one of these?

[si33]

Presently have 2 in the yard and have used this one in several past landscape projects...Great plant except that it is frost sensitive so if you are in an area which will dip below roughly the mid twenties during the winter..you will have to bring it indoors...

The best exposure for it is a site which recieves some afternoon shade..and a site where the soil will not dry out completely otherwise it will not grow quite as lush..and looks somewhat dried out...

This Clerodendrum species can reach 10+ ft tall in the most ideal planting situation..otherwise it will stay somewhere between 3-6ft tall, especially if periodically trimmed..

It's only fault may be the strange "burnt tire" like smell emitted when the leaves are crushed..Beyond that, this is a great plant both in a container or in the ground where adaptable...

[Sillypups]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

That's what the guy at the nursery called it...he didn't know the botanical name (I like to know it when I buy....sometimes gives you a clue about how it will behave in your yard or where to plant it). So I get home and do some "digging" and find it's a clerodendrum ugandense.

Floridata: Clerodendrum ugandense

Anyone have any experience growing one of these?

Interesting.
We have butterfly bushes, but not like yours. It's really pretty.

[B4U]

Pretty. No experience here either. But look at the name Floridata: Clerodendrum ugandense
Kind of tells me tropical.
Reading the info, I'd cut it back when it gets "leggy" to keep control and have a conversation piece.
A + seems to be you'll get lots of butterflies to rid of the possible "odor".

Thanks for sharing the specimen.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by si33

Presently have 2 in the yard and have used this one in several past landscape projects...Great plant except that it is frost sensitive so if you are in an area which will dip below roughly the mid twenties during the winter..you will have to bring it indoors...

The best exposure for it is a site which recieves some afternoon shade..and a site where the soil will not dry out completely otherwise it will not grow quite as lush..and looks somewhat dried out...

This Clerodendrum species can reach 10+ ft tall in the most ideal planting situation..otherwise it will stay somewhere between 3-6ft tall, especially if periodically trimmed..

It's only fault may be the strange "burnt tire" like smell emitted when the leaves are crushed..Beyond that, this is a great plant both in a container or in the ground where adaptable...

Thanks for all the tips! I had read about it and it seemed too easy to be true, so I wanted to see if anyone had had any real experience growing it. I'm in the deep South, so it should come back every year for me.

It's starting to bloom in the pot, and is just beautiful....have had a few butterflies stop by to visit! Got one for me and one for my mom for her birthday....it will be interesting to see which yard it grows better in.

Gonna have to go check out that "burnt tire" smell....hadn't noticed that!