Purple Butterfly Bush

Butterfly Bush is a beautiful, fast-growing semi-evergreen, perennial shrub usually stands between six and ten foot tall high. It has a spread of up to ten feet and an open, arching shape. The young stems of the plant are somewhat furry, and leaves of some cultivars have an attractive, velvety texture. The size, shape, and shade of the leaves vary greatly from one cultivar to another. Leaves range in size from 3-5 inches long and 1-3 inches wide. Coloration varies from very dark green to a grayish-green to a light silver/gray.

Like the leaves, the blooms also come in a wide variety of colors ranging from bright white to creamy yellow, pink, red, blue, lilac and deep purple. The bushes bloom abundantly throughout the early summer and into the autumn and attract a wide variety of birds and butterflies like the monarch butterfly with its penetrating fragrant flowers. The flowers grow in long flower spikes in slim clusters (panicles) which vary in length from five inches to one foot. These bushes grow vigorously in any type of soil with almost any pH level and can survive in nearly every weather condition. They like full sun and loose soil and are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5-10. Quickly reaches 6 to 8 ft. tall, 4 to 6 ft. wide.

Planting instructions - For almost every shrub we sell the planting instructions are the same. Dig your planting hole twice the diameter of the root ball. You should dig the hole so that once planted it will be at the same level in the ground as it was in its container or slightly higher, NEVER lower. Before you place it into its hole, you should loosen the soil around the outside of the root ball. This will help the roots to spread more easily once it is planted. Place your shrub into the hole. Back-fill the hole with soil and pack it down firmly. Water well to help get rid of air pockets in the soil. Add a layer of mulch to your newly planted shrub. This will help the soil to conserve moisture. The below diagram should be followed for most all shrubs planted in your landscape.