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Butterfly Garden

What to plant with Butterfly bush???

12 years ago

Hello. I am going to plant a Butterfly bush in the corner of my fence. I am trying to figure out what to plant with this bush. Do you think it would be good to plant the bush in the corner then some zinnias in front on the bush? Should I plant some otehr small shrubs on the side of the bush? Thanks for any help. Here is a pic of the area.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/74277357@N07/6803655742/in/photostream

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Comments (5)

KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years ago
Butterfly bushes are becoming an invasive plant across the country. I'd say don't plant anything around the bush so you have easy access for cutting off the dead flowers. That way the bush does not produce seeds, plus the bush will produce more flowers for the butterflies.

Here is a link that might be useful: county level US map - where butterfly bush has become invasive
butterflyman
12 years ago
I agree. Standard butterfly bush can be 6 to 8 feet tall and you'll want to be able to get in and dead head.

Echinacea actually does pretty well in partial shade, so you can try that about four feet away.
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Bright lights Do a Google search for the genus Buddleja, these are the butterfly bushes. Asclepias (milkweeds) are another genus important to butterflies as a nectar source and as a host plant for Monarch butterflies during their larval stage. Here is a good site for information on Asclepias species as well as seeds of the various species. Growing our common Asclepias syrica is becoming more and more important as this plant is becoming quite rare in many rural areas due to herbicide use. Last summer while visiting family in south Bruce county area of Ontario I spotted only a single unhealthy plant. Farmers do not want this plant to contaminate their hay crops but the monarch butterflies are the ones who loose out in the end. There are large areas of Asclepias syrica in the London area but I am not sure how common this plant is where you are? Growing a few of these drought tolerant plants in your garden will more than likley attract the butteflies and allow you to watch their next generation develop. Many people view these plants as weeds but they are easily one of my favorite native plants. Here is a link that might be useful: Milkweed Farm
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gardenweed_z6a
12 years ago
I haven't had any issues with butterfly bush self-seeding here in Z6 but once they bloom I dead head them regularly to prolong the bloom period. I leave the last of the flowers on the plants to go to seed in late autumn. My 5 winter sown plants (i.e., grown from seed) are set in different beds around the garden and grow to nearly 6 ft. each year. Planted around them are peonies, blackberry lily, Siberian iris, Maltese cross, gaura, ornamental grass, daylily, Shasta daisy, balloon flower, gloriosa daisy, baptisia/false indigo + lots of other full sun perennials (most grown from seed via winter sowing).

From the OP's photo, it's difficult to know whether or not the corner of the fence area gets full sun (6-8 hours) which butterfly bushes need.

I wanted this bed to have a cottage garden look and as you can see, the butterfly bush (center) does fine planted among other sun-loving perennials.

{{gwi:212020}}

Also growing in the bed pictured above are blanket flower, coral bells, astilbe, artemesia/silver mound, Montauk daisy, dianthus, evening primrose, verbascum/mullein, spirea, Cupid's dart, iberis/candytuft & hardy geranium/cranesbill.
lavender_lass
12 years ago
I love butterfly bushes! It's a little too cold here for them to do really well, but in protected areas, they're beautiful. I plant coneflowers with mine, which look amazing, together. Also nice with roses, bee balm, daisies, cosmos, in fact, lots of flowers.

The yellow jackets completely mellow out, on butterfly bushes. Plant some in the back of the garden (out of the path) and the yellow jackets almost act happy/drunk, on them. Of course, butterflies like them, too...and they keep deer out of the garden, especially when planted in the back or sides! One of my favorite shrubs :)
KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years ago
Washington is the state where butterfly bushes are causing the most problems. It is classified as a class B noxious weed by the state.

Here is a link that might be useful: King County, Washington noxious weeds - butterfly bush

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