Just so you know........butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii, is a listed invasive species on the west coast and on the invasive watch list for much of the rest of the country. Responsible nurseries are tending not to offer the very fertile and weedy older cultivars in favor of the newer sterile varietes on the market, which tend to be more compact in habit.

Just an update, to say we have planted up a number of fairly large (31" x 31") planters, using "Miss Molly" in some and "Buzz Midnight" in others, as the centerpiece, so to speak. While it's early in the game, some off the "Miss Mollys" are already blooming. I think this is going to be good. We've got orange petunias as companion plants and to drape over the sides. Depending on just how large these Buddleias get, this could be really good. The Buds were greenhouse-grown, so it's not as if we are going to have to wait all summer for flowering to commence. Might just be a winner. +oM

Sharon, from this collection, in 2005 I had grown "Purple Emperor" as a container plant, and indeed it was very nice! It had flowered heavily over a long period of time and the foliage was also rather appealing. Unfortunately, that fall when the plant was still lush and green, I had buried it deeply outside, and come spring it was completely dead ... this due to not being properly prepared for winter and all the water still being within the stems, they had burst open from the sap which had turned to ice ... guess, live and learn! If I can find another one I'm gonna keep it over in the cold room. Terry

Hi Molly. Nice to see a fellow Nebraskan (former in my case :-). I'm originally from about 60 miles north of Omaha (Decatur) and moved her from Herman in 1994. I live in Owatonna (about 40 miles west of Rochester) and work in Rochester. Buddleia are marginal here. They are Z5 and we are Z4. I believe many people here have good luck with them, but it varies from spot to spot. I planted one last summer, for the first time, and it didn't survive the winter. I've put in 3 more this summer, two are in the ground and one in a pot. I plan to mulch a little heavier for the two in-ground and I'm going to try burying the one in the pot in my vegetable garden. I'm pretty sure that one will survive (I've done that with a tea rose in the past) but how long depends on how many seasons I'm willing to go to the extra work to do so. Blueberries do grow here. Moreso in the northern part of the state, but some grow them around here too. Hope to see you here on the MN forum again, if you decide to make the move.