Update: My Buddleia davidii has since been shovel pruned. I kept getting severe ifestations of Two Spotted Spider Mites. I tried to control them with a jet of water, but that didn't work. I tried to control them with foliar insecticide, but that didn't work either. The second year was more of the same, but the spider mites began to spread to other plants in my yard. That was when I shovel pruned the butterfly bushes. The spider mites are gone from my yard now and I'm still not sure why the Buddleia davidii in my yard had such a problem.

I planted Lo and Behold this spring, wanting butterflies but not having room in my condo garden for a regular sized bush. Don't remember what I paid but it is unlikely to have been more than $20. The tag said it would be 2'X2' and now, in its first July, it's about 18" tall and 24" wide. Lots of blooms but not self cleaning for me, although I might be just a little quick off the mark to deadhead. I haven't noticed any fragrance at all but the most significant thing is that it doesn't attract butterflies. They go to everything around it but have no interest in the butterfly bush. Very disappointing.

In zone 6a - all three of my butterfly bushes have foliage. One has new growth that is about 2ft high already, one has small growth from the base and the third was later than the others because it is in more dry shade and it just has a couple of stems. Sorry about your Buddleia. I wonder if the problem is that it is a recent hybrid and a dwarf? Sometimes, they are not as reliably hardy.

Even in places where they thrive it is good practice to cut them back hard in spring every few years. They are very ugly twiggy bushes and look much better with regular rejuvenation pruning. It might be useful when trying to keep them happy to think about where they come from. Their natural habitat is in China where they grow in forest clearings, riverbanks and limestone outcrops. So they prefer lean, fast draining soil but with plenty of moisture at the root. They are a woody weed here and are particularly prevalent along railway tracks (they like the ballast), quarries, urban wasteland and disturbed areas. I agree with Ken about the butterflies. Although Buddleja attracts adults to the nectar they are not a food plant for butterfly larvae and so they do not provide a good all round butterfly habitat.