I've had my best luck with "Buddleia nanho purple."

Others that I have tried have not done well over the years.

butterflyman, Thank you very much for the recommendation! I'll put that one at the top of my list. I'm not sure if I'll dig (well, I should say I'll get my husband to dig) ours out this fall or next spring, but I really do want to get rid of the huge thing.
Cathy

I had very little luck with the Nanho's attracting butterflies here in Oklahoma, but maybe they do better in more northern locations.

New ones I have heard about being really good nectar sources include the Flutterbye series, Cathy. Another is Ellen's Blue. More include Miss Molly and Miss Ruby, Orange Sceptre, Evil Ways, Attraction, Bicolor (can get to 6' or more, but it is sooooooooo stunning with it's multicolor blooms and doesn't reseed for me), and Peacock.

The Flutterbye series sound good enough to eat with names like Peach Cobbler, Blueberry Cobbler, Orange Vanilla, Sweet Marmalade, Orange Tangerine Dream, Tutti Frutti, and more that don't sound so "edible". These are all touted as being sterile and heat tolerant as well.

Susan

My purple emperors have stayed about 4' tall and the butterflies and hummingbirds like them. I also picked up two Buzz series Velvets this year, and I LOVE the color. They aren't as big as the emperors yet and are further from the house so I'm not sure how well received they have been. I think they are a 3-4' max height bush. I'm not as in love with the 4 Lo and Behold blue chips that I got, the blooms are smaller-but they were pretty pot-bound so I'll see. Supposedly they don't need dead heading, but so far they seem like they do to me (maybe I'm not patient enough). They are by the Velvets so I'm not sure on how attractive they are to butterflies either yet. They are another lower growing bush.

I really like Miss ruby...I think that or the similar Miss Molly would be good choices.

I have ellen's blue but have noticed something strange...the monarchs don't touch it! They love the lavender buzz and miss ruby but for some reason, Ellen's blue is not on their radar...

Tony

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone!
Susan, Wow, you're sure a wealth of information. I'll have to research all of the ones that you suggest. I'm just not sure what I'll try now. All I know is that I don't want another huge one. It's just too hard to reach up to deadhead them, and I'm too lazy to get the ladder out every single time. Ha.

eclectic, Some of those are ones that I haven't heard of yet, so I guess I have some more researching to do. I'm glad that I asked because it's nice to have a list and then to narrow it down to one (or maybe two). I hate to just throw this one away but the way it throws down seeds, maybe that's the best thing to do.

Tony, I remember someone mentioning Miss Ruby before and I think I remember looking it up and thinking how pretty it looked. As long as it doesn't get tall, it's certainly one that I'd consider. I'll have to look up Miss Molly because I'm not familiar with that one. Gosh, so many choices from some helpful people! :)

I really appreciate all of the suggestions!
Cathy

I trim my bushes way down start about foot or so from bottom or now you can buy the dwarf ones.I trim in early Spring

finchelover, I always trim mine down to about a foot too in the spring, but they always manage to reach about 7 or 8 feet each year. They're about that high now. It makes it hard to reach up to deadhead them. If I try to bend the branches down to reach them, I sometimes end up breaking them off. It's too much bother to keep getting the ladder to reach them. So I thought the best solution would be to get a smaller type of butterfly bush.
Cathy

I bought some dwarf butterfly bushes this year and they are doing well, which really says something because it has been hothothot here. I have been good with watering.

They are "Lo and Behold" Blue Chip Buddleia. These might be smaller than what you want, but they are perfect for my garden. They are supposed to only get 2 - 3' tall and wide.

What I think are Skippers are mad for them - I see 15 or 20 at a time on each bush. I have not seen any of the larger butterflies on them, but we are low on the big boys this year due to the crazy weather.

Cathy, I have 4 BF bushes planted around my well & the "Attraction" by far is the most popular for the BFs! It has a beautiful magenta red flower with a lot of fragrance. The other 3 I have are Ellen's Blue(my favorite because of the color), Bicolor(2nd best BF attractor of the 4) & Black Knight. The Attraction has the most blooms & is about 5 ft tall...as are all the others. This is the 3rd year for it & I've propogated it & planted it in a new BF bed!
Botany Shop has the best prices on BF bushes...

Here is a link that might be useful: Botany Shop BF Bushes

weed, That Blue Chip sounds familiar. Someone on here must have mentioned it at some point. I'll look it up. I had been low on the bigger butterflies, but now lately there's been two Monarchs flying around here, a Giant Swallowtail, and multiple Spicebush Swallowtails. It's funny but I haven't seen Black Swallowtails this year. I don't know what's up with that. Thanks for the help.

Lila, Ooh, that Attractions sounds really pretty! I love magenta! I probably would also like Ellen's Blue because blue is my favorite color. Thanks for the suggestions and the link. I sure have my work cut out for me now! :)
Cathy

Hi, I am new to this and am looking for help. There are sooo many butterfly bushes. I bought the BF bush at Lowes, Buzz velvet. It says it's a hybrid and will get 36" T X 36-48" W. This is great since I don't have a large yard.

Question: will this Buzz velvet dwarf attract as many butterflies as the larger BF bushes?

I am really lost because this is my first time planting too!

I bought a dwarf variety last year...didn't keep the tag, unfortunately, but it is white. The flower spikes are the same size as the full-size bushes, but it stayed around 3' tall, and got a lot of love last year. Perfect "shrub size," since I have a small yard and don't want anything too tall blocking my views.