silverneedle, just out of curiosity, why are you contemplating buying this particular butterfly bush? I don't know what part of the country you live in, but butterfly bushes have become so popular in recent years with such a profusion of outstanding new cultivars that in most places south of Zone 4 or 5 one can't hardly walk five feet at a garden center without bumping into some kind of butterfly bush or other. And a lot of them are big-ish plants with blue-ish flowers. So there doesn't appear to be anything special about the one at Gurney's, and I don't see why you would choose to purchase an unnamed variety from a mail-order nursery that's mediocre at best, and borderline disreputable. Frankly, if it were me, and I was going to buy a blue butterfly bush through the mail, I'd rather pay more for a nice 'Blue Chip' from Plant Delights than a get-what-you-pay-for special from Gurney's. But it's up to you. As for its identity, obviously it's hard to say for sure from their description and photo, and that may be a red flag in and of itself. There are so many named varieties of buddleia nowadays that if they're not even bothering to promote a cultivar name for it, that ought to tell you something. wonbyherwitz mentioned a couple of the nicer blue-flowered butterfly bush varieties in the trade, and I would add a plug for my personal favorite, which is one called 'Ellen's Blue.' And for all we know, the ones that Gurney's is selling could be one of these varieties, but it's not clear. For what it's worth, from my experience in the nursery industry I would think it's unlikely that Gurney's is selling variable seedling butterfly bushes, as clematisintegrifolia suggested. Buddleias can definitely be grown from seed, but at least east of the Rockies, that's not usually the most efficient way of mass-producing them in a nursery setting. Their stem cuttings root so readily and grow so rapidly that that's almost always how they're grown except for breeding situations. So, rather than seedlings, I would surmise that Gurney's may have one or more big, old blue-flowered butterfly bushes that they use as stock plants and take a bazillion cuttings from every year. It could very well be that those old plants either don't have a cultivar name, or it's long-forgotten. So what they're selling may still be asexually propagated, but just not a named variety. But it's hard to know for sure. Have you tried calling Gurney's and asking them the identity of their butterfly bushes?

Hi Christin, Well I figured 3 ft would be good height so it could sit in front of the Knockouts and then I could have the lilies shorter kinda in front. It could be a little taller I suppose. I have wanted to try Agastache before but haven't yet. It looks really pretty. Thanks buyorsell, Thank you for trying. I figured a butterfly bush would get to big but wasn't sure if there was a dwarf variety out there. I have the Blue Chip Butterfly bush and love it and thought a white one would be perfect. Thanks again you two for helping me out. Take care, Judy

Does anyone in south Florida have ANY experience with growing the Blue Chip dwarf buddleia/butterfly bush? I have searched the Internet trying to find out if this plant even grows in zone 9b (some zoning maps say 10a but most say 9b for my area--Sarasota/Bradenton). I contacted the company that distributes the plant, and the woman said that it liked the heat but just needed good drainage, but I'm worried the humidity here will kill it or/it won't do well. Online sellers say it grows from 5-9 for the South and 5-10a for the West (probably due to dryer air). I just ordered a bunch of these for late March, but now am wondering if I should cancel the order. Any info on this plant being grown in my area or comparable zone in the south would be greatly appreciated.

Love the MGs and double mandevilla! A very striking combo. This is the first time I have seen the double mandevilla. No one carried it around here. If I remember correctly the year I did plant Heavenly Blue MGs, they bloomed about this time of year. Seemed like I waited forever for them to start blooming. Thinking I will have to try them again next year. :-)