Growing the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush

Size and Appearance

Displaying a moderate growth rate, the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush boasts a round and compact habit. The fragrant white flowers steal the spotlight during the summer and fall, creating a visual symphony in your garden. With a mature height and width of 3-5 feet, this butterfly bush is well-suited for gardens, borders, or patio containers. 

Using the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush in Your Garden

Planting the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush is a breeze. Dig a hole wider than the plant’s container, position the plant at ground level, backfill with soil, water thoroughly, and mulch for moisture conservation. This low-maintenance shrub requires infrequent watering once established, and a monthly dose of all-purpose fertilizer in early spring and early fall will keep it thriving. 

Hardiness

Thriving in zones 5-9, the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush is a hardy and adaptable shrub. This plant is sure to add a touch of elegance and fragrance to your garden oasis. 

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

To ensure the best performance, plant the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush in well-drained soil and a sunny spot. Regular pruning helps control its height and maintain a desirable shape. Removing spent flowers encourages continuous blooming, and a hard cutback in late winter or early spring promotes fresh growth. 

Buying the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush at The Tree Center

If you desire a low-maintenance, yet visually stunning shrub that welcomes pollinators and adds charm to your garden, the Vanilla Treat Butterfly Bush is the ideal choice. Heat and drought-tolerant, it requires minimal care while providing a constant bloom of fragrant white flowers from spring to fall. Attract butterflies and transform your space into an enchanted sanctuary with this delightful butterfly bush.

Dapper Lavender Buddleja, (/ˈdapə /ˈlav(ə)ndə /ˈbʌdliə/): Exciting new plant with fat lavender flowers on a compact and tidy gray-leaf shrub. ‘My garden looks great with the Dapper Lavender Buddleja in it.’

However we might define it, you will love this great new buddleja bush, which combines the small size of other new buddleja with the traditional fat blossoms of older garden favorites. Smothered in 5-inch long flower spikes that are fat and full, this plant is great in all the sunny spots of your garden, blooming continuously and profusely from early summer right into the fall. Once your spring blooms are over, let this easy plant step in and keep the color parade going. It thrives in heat, sunshine and drier soils (once established) and also looks wonderful in pots and planter boxes.

Growing the Dapper Lavender Buddleja

Size and Appearance

The Dapper Lavender Buddleja is an exciting new variety of that old favorite, the butterfly bush. It grows only 3 or 4 feet tall and wide, which it will do in a single season once it is established, and at any time from early summer into fall it will have an average of 25 flower spikes on it, making a wonderful and colorful show. It produces many slender stems from low down, which are covered in soft, gray-green leaves. The leaves are up to 3 inches long and ¾ of an inch wide, with a textured surface, and they taper to a point. The soft coloring looks lovely in the sunlight from the moment the stems sprout in spring, perfect against a background of darker greens, and mixing with any color in your beds.

By early summer the end of every branch has developed a long, fat spike of about 100 tiny flowers – not some skinny spike with scattered blooms, but a fat one, half as wide as it is long, packed solid with blooms. These are small, like tiny jewels, with 5 open petals that are a warm, bright lavender, surrounding a golden-orange center. They open from the bottom up, and it takes a couple of weeks for a spike to fully open, with each individual blossom lasting about 5 days. The spikes are about 3 inches long when the first blooms open, but 5 inches long by the time the top-most blooms are open. No seeds are produced, and the flower spikes simply shrivel and disappear. As that top flower spike fades, side-shoots sprout rapidly out, carrying more flowers, so that blooming continues and continues, right into mid-fall, and often only stops when the first hard frost comes. As well, the blooms have the classic sweet scent we look for in these plants, and they attract big numbers of butterflies and other pollinators that will delight children of every age.

Using the Dapper Lavender Buddleja in Your Garden

Wherever you have hot, sunny places that need color, the Dapper Lavender Buddleja is the perfect choice. The foliage and flower colors don’t blur out in bright light, and this bush loves heat and drier soil, making a fabulous show. Plant it on rocky slopes, or against a sunny wall or fence. Grow it among other shrubs that bloom earlier, so that the beds has continuous interest and blossoms. Grow a row along a path or driveway to make a simple but spectacular display for months. In zones 8 and 9 you can grow it in a planter box or pot, standing out all winter.

Hardiness

This bush is hardy from zone 6 to zone 9. It is deciduous, and branches may die in winter, but it re-spouts strongly in spring. It is often late to sprout, so be patient – it will come back just fine.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun and well-drained soil is essential for this plant to grow long-term in your garden. Avoid places that are wet, especially in winter, which can kill it during cold weather. Sandy, gravel and rocky soils are fine, and don’t add organic material when planting, unless the soil is almost pure sand.

Maintenance and Pruning

You can remove spent flower spikes if you want, but generally they disappear among the new growth. Just remove the flower spike, and not any of the branch below it. Spring pruning is necessary, and in colder zones it is best to wait until the new buds are swelling, so that you know which parts are alive. Cut back to just above a pair of fat buds, and remove any small, twiggy stems. Established plants grow rapidly – some liquid fertilizer for flowering shrubs is a great idea to keep it going – and soon become full-sized again. Pests and diseases are usually absent, and this great bush is very easy to grow.

History and Origin of the Dapper Lavender Buddleja

The butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii, (sometimes spelled as ‘Buddleia’) was first found along the border between China and Tibet by the French missionary and naturalist Pere Armand David in 1869. He sent seeds to Europe, and it rapidly became a popular and easy garden shrub. Since then, in some parts of the country, it has become invasive, and forms that don’t produce seeds, like the Dapper Lavender Buddleja, are valuable where there are concerns about spreading into wild areas. This variety was created by Scott Trees, who lives in Arroyo Grande, California. Scott is an experienced breeder at the University of California, with over 300 patents to his name. He began with two older varieties of butterfly bush, ‘Attraction’ and ‘Miss Ruby’, both with dark-purple blooms. From them he developed a variety called Cranraz (`Boscranz`), and then used that variety with other seedlings he had bred. Among the many plants he created, he selected one in 2015 that he named `Buddaplav`. This plant was granted a patent in 2021, and is released as the lavender color in the Dapper range of new compact butterfly bushes from Star® Roses and Plants.

Buying the Dapper Lavender Buddleja at the Tree Center

You will love the traditional fat blooms of this great compact butterfly bush, and their gorgeous coloring. While old butterfly bushes grew large, needing a lot of space, this compact bush can be grown by everyone, and it doesn’t produce seeds that can spread. Butterfly bushes are always popular, and you will love this one, for sure. Order now – we only have a limited quantity, and they won’t last long.

Growing the White Profusion Butterfly Bush

Size and Appearance

The White Profusion Butterfly Bush is a deciduous shrub that grows rapidly, growing each year into a rounded bush up to 8 feet tall and wide, but it can be smaller in cooler zones. It branches profusely from low down, becoming an open bush with an attractive light look. The long, oval leaves are up to 6 inches long, with a thick textured feel, and they are rich dark-green with a silvery underside. The young stems are also silvery-green, covered with a dense coating of very short white hairs. Flowering begins before mid-summer, and lasts well into the fall, even up to the first frost. The tiny flowers are pure-white like little trumpets with a flat-open flaring mouth of 4 or 5 petals. The center is golden yellow. Hundreds of blooms are carried in huge conical heads, 12 to 16 inches long, which grow first from the ends of each new stem, and then from side shoots that keep on being produced. A bush in bloom in a wonderful sight of perfect white, and truly a profusion of beauty. The blooms release a rich, sweet fragrance of honey, and they attract hordes of different species of butterflies and other pollinators, sometimes even hummingbirds.

Using the White Profusion Butterfly Bush in Your Garden

The pure white beauty of the White Profusion Butterfly Bush makes it an outstanding bush to plant among dark-leaved evergreens. Plant it behind spring and early summer-flowering shrubs to keep the color coming, and make it the centerpiece of a garden of white flowers. It fits perfectly with other shrubs, and brings dark colors around it to life. Grow it in any hot and dry area, and on slopes and banks.

Hardiness

You can grow the tough and reliable White Profusion Butterfly Bush in zone 5 and all the way through into zone 9. It has good winter hardiness, but in cold zones it should be planted in a very well-drained spot, and away from areas that accumulate ice and snow.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Plant the White Profusion Butterfly Bush in full sun for best results, especially in cooler zones. It grows well and vigorously in any well-drained soil, including poor rocky and sandy soils, and in urban soils too. It will grow in clay, but not in areas that are often wet and sticky. It is equally happy in alkaline and acid soils, and it’s incredibly easy to grow.

Maintenance and Pruning

You normally won’t see any pests or diseases on the White Profusion Butterfly Bush, which grows well with very little care. It is slow to sprout in spring, so wait until you see new growth before pruning. Trim out any dead wood, and shorten back last year’s growth to leave 2 or 3 pairs of healthy buds to grow. You can trim it short, or leave a framework of older branches, as suits you best. Remove the blossom heads as soon as they are finished, to prevent seed production and to encourage more blooms. Cut back to the first pair of leaves – usually, you will already see two new flower spikes developing just below the old one.

History and Origin of the White Profusion Butterfly Bush

Named after the French naturalist and missionary Pere Armand David, the butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii, grows in Central Asia. Pere David found it in 1869 along the border between Tibet and China. Once introduced in western countries it became very popular, and soon many different color forms were being raised from seeds. The variety called White Profusion first appeared in 1945, but its exact origins, and who bred it, have been lost.

Buying the White Profusion Butterfly Bush at the Tree Center

You can tell just how good this variety is, because it received the Award of Garden Merit from Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society in 1993, and then had it confirmed in 2002, after the Society carried out extensive trials of the many different varieties of butterfly bushes. Everyone agrees that this is the white butterfly bush that is like no other – la crème de la crème (or should that be ‘the whitest of the whites’?). Anyway, we know you will love it, but order right away, as our best butterfly bushes – like this one – sell out the fastest. This variety is not sterile, and should not be planted in areas where butterfly bushes are known to escape into wild areas.

Growing the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush

Size and Appearance

The Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush is a deciduous shrub, branching from the base, forming a broad, rounded bush about 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide within a couple of seasons. The stems are slender, with pale-gray bark, forming a woody base. Because of the breeding of this variety, it has smaller leaves than usual, no more than 5 inches long. They are slender and willow-like, and a beautiful, soft, gray-green color, with a thick textured feel, creating a plant with an open, airy feel to it.

This bush blooms on new growth that develops in spring from the stems. By June it will be in bloom, and flowering continues on this fabulous bush all the way into September, often only stopped by the first hard frost. The individual flowers are tiny, but they are packed by their hundreds into long, tapering spikes that top every branch. These spikes are between 6 and 12 inches long, depending on your growing conditions – the early spikes in the season tend to be the largest. The blooms have a sweet, honey-like fragrance, and they are a beautiful and striking plum-purple, with each individual flower having a tiny orange dot in its center. Spikes stay in bloom for a week or two, and before they have even faded completely more are opening on side-shoots. Flower production is continuous, making a striking display throughout summer and early fall. Super easy to grow, this shrub is fast-growing, and a true winner.

Using the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush in Your Garden

Grow the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush as an accent plant among other shrubs. Plant it against a wall, or along a picket fence – that really highlights its unique open look. Grow it near where your children play – they will be fascinated and delighted by the hordes of butterflies it attracts. Use it in open, sunny areas and among rocks – it thrives in drier parts of your garden.

Hardiness

The Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush is hardy from zone 5 all the way into zone 9. This bush is always late to begin sprouting, especially in cooler zones, so be patient. Good drainage and lighter soils help it survive the winter in zone 5 – don’t plant in areas that are wet in winter, or where ice accumulates.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Sun, sun and more sun are best for the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush, which thrives in hot areas. It grows easily and quickly in all well-drained soils, even poor sandy ones and in urban conditions. Avoid moist areas and low-lying wet spots. All kinds of soils, from alkaline and acidic are suitable.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rare, making this one of the easiest bushes to grow successfully – as well as one of the quickest. For the best blooming and appearance, prune in spring. These shrubs are slow to sprout, so wait until you see some buds opening, and then prune immediately. Remove all dead wood back to a healthy pair of buds. Shorten back stems of the year before to about 2 or 3 pairs of buds. You can keep a framework of older branches to give height, but growth is rapid and plants soon reach full size within the season. Dead-heading, by removing flower spikes as they go over, stops seed development and encourages the most blossoms.

History and Origin of the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush

The butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii, comes from China, where it was found along the border between China and Tibet by the French missionary and naturalist Pere Armand David in 1869. He sent it to the west, where it immediately became popular. There are different varieties in different parts of China, and in Kansu there is a smaller, more cold-resistant type with narrower and grayer leaves. It was introduced to the West in 1914 by the naturalist Reginald Farrer, and today we know it as Buddleja davidii var. nanhohensis. In 1980 breeders at the Monrovia Nursery in California crossed that variety with an old Buddleja davidii variety called ‘Royal Red’. That old variety was bred in Ohio in the 1940s. Monrovia then crossed the seedlings with ’Royal Red’ again. Among the seedlings they got was a compact plant with gorgeously-colored purple blooms. It was named ‘Monum’, but never patented. In 1997 Monrovia registered it with the trademark of Petite Plum®, and it’s also sometimes (mistakenly) sold as Petite Purple, but most often simply as Nanho Purple, to show where it came from.

Buying the Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush at the Tree Center

This classic butterfly bush was recognized as very valuable in 2002, when it received the Award of Garden Merit from Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society. It was also graded as ‘Good’ in trials by the Chicago Botanic Gardens. We love it’s classic beauty and large blooms, but on a more compact and manageable bush. It’s a widely-recognized name, so it sells fast – order now.

Growing the Flutterby Petite® Snow White Butterfly Bush

Size and Appearance

The Snow White Butterfly Bush is a compact deciduous shrub with open branching, growing between 2 and 3 feet tall and wide in a single season. In warm areas, if not pruned, it might reach 5 feet in a few years, but hard spring pruning is recommended. The young stems are slim and gray-green, while older stems are more gray, with peeling bark. The leaves are slender, tapering to a point with toothed edges. They have a soft touch, and they are green with some gray overtones, and about 2 inches long. New growth begins once the weather and soil warm, and it isn’t long before you see flower clusters developing at the end of each branch. These open first, but soon side shoots develop flower clusters too, keeping this bush blooming and blooming from mid-summer all through fall, usually only stopping with a hard frost.

The flower spikes are about 4 inches long, packed with many tiny tubular flowers that are pure white. The soft tones of white, green and gray are very beautiful in any garden, and of course they don’t clash with any other plant color. Individual blooms last just a few days, but more clusters keep coming and coming. When the flowers fade no seed pods are produced and the spent flowers fade away beneath the new growth.

Using the Flutterby Petite® Snow White Butterfly Bush in Your Garden

For the front of any sunny bed, in a rock garden, on a slope, at the top of a wall or in a planter box – anywhere in your garden is the right place for this versatile bush. It looks great in front of taller plants, and it mixes with perennial flowers too. Grow it in a planter surrounded by annual flowers, or use it for an edging where a bed meets a path or driveway. There is always a spot for such a versatile and graceful small bush.

Hardiness

This bush is hardy in zone 5, and it grows in all warmer zones. In cooler areas hardiness is connected with dry soil, and sitting in wet soil during winter will increase the risk of winter injury or death.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The more sun the better is how the Snow White Butterfly Bush likes it. Avoid shade, and also avoid wet soil and damp places. Well-drained soils that are sandy and dry are preferred, although most garden soils will grow this plant easily. There is no need to add compost or manure – poor soil is perfectly suitable, and maybe even better. Water regularly for the first few weeks after planting, but once well-established this plant is resistant to dryness and periods of drought.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Snow White Butterfly Bush is rarely bothered by pests or diseases. It doesn’t need dead-heading, except for neatness, and all it takes to grow it well is a trim in spring. Wait until you see the first signs of growth – this may take a few weeks in colder zones. Once you can see buds and growing leaves, trim back to just above a healthy pair of buds, cutting back to 6 to 12 inches tall, and just leaving a few of the strongest stems. Even if it dies to the ground it will usually re-sprout, and within a few weeks it will be growing vigorously.

History and Origin of the Flutterby Petite® Snow White Butterfly Bush

Once we realized that the old-fashioned butterfly bush was a problem in some parts of the country, spreading by seed into natural areas and competing with native plants, horticulturists began to look at solutions. Dr. Peter Podaras at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, set up a breeding program to develop non-seeding varieties. He bred together the common butterfly bush, which came originally from China, called Buddleja davidii, with a much rarer species from western China called Buddleja alternifolia. Two different species like this will often produce offspring, but that offspring will be sterile, like the mule. This is what happened, and among the hundreds of plants he grew were some that were attractive, compact for smaller gardens, and sterile. These are gathered together in the Flutterby Petite® range, a registered trademark belonging to Cornell University. The best white variety was patented with the name ‘Podaras #15’ in 2011, and sold as Snow White.

Buying the Flutterby Petite® Snow White Butterfly Bush at the Tree Center

These great new varieties – call them nectar bushes – solve the problem of butterfly bushes being invasive. Now everyone can grow them freely, anywhere in the country. Make your butterflies happy and feel free yourself by growing these great little shrubs. Order now, because the rush is on, and they go out of stock almost as soon as we have them available.