In this area, we have the "Lo and Behold" series from Proven Winners, which I know is very popular. L and B is about the same size as the plant in your photo. Several color choices are available. I love the series of a little larger butterly bushes from Proven Winners, and grow them scattered around the roses, but not as ground covers. They range from 3-5 feet tall and wide, but are very mannerly and don't cause any problems for my roses. I've grown Purple Emperor for years, but my favorite is Miss Molly. I also have Miss Ruby. They are carefree; a pruning to just a few inches tall in the late winter or early spring keeps them growing thick and produces lots of blooms. I'm not talking about a careful pruning that you would do on a rose, but the easy whack, whack type is all that's necessary. BBs have a long bloom season, and I've discovered they bloom better when they aren't deadheaded--yay! I love all the color choices available with this series; there is a Miss Violet I'd like to try, and even some pinks. These shrubs are not the rangy, weedy butterfly bush of the past. Diane

Diane, thanks so much. The Flutterby petites are even smaller than most of the Lo and Behold. I have petite 'Blue Heaven', which is supposed to top out between two and three feet. The groundcover is advertised as under 18". I've read that some of the Lo and Behold lack fragrance, so I'm trying the Flutterby instead. The blooms are quite large in relationship to the plant, and I can see the 'Blue Heaven' looking pretty with Munstead Wood and some of the other roses we have here.

I've used 'Buzz' in several gardens, and those dwarfs get big here if you don't keep them in check. I'm anxious to see how these petites will do.

jannike
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Buddleja davidii are a spider mite magnet in my area. No clue about where you live. I'm not trying to imply that this trait may be necessarily detrimental to the health of your roses, in fact the opposite may prove true, I'm just mentioning it fyi.

Around here, BBs can be an invasive weed. There are some that volunteer so easily. If you do get some, make sure they won't spread. I took out all of the BBs I had that would spread. I would like some dwarf ones for my butterfly garden. I got tired of all the waste from their annual prunings. Here they an get to 10-15 feet during one year.

BBs are also invasive in Virginia.

Thanks for the information on the Flutterby petites, Jannike. I am very interested in using those in my garden. I could be wrong, but I think the compact hybrids we are talking about don't become invasive like the traditional BBs in some areas. They seem different altogether. My experience with the old fashioned BBs is they are much more like a giant weed. I've never had any spider mites so I can't address that issue. Diane

Yes the newer cultivars don't spread seeds, and some I wish they would! I have a fabulous yellow BB that the butterflies love, but it has never re-seeded, so I did not dig it up. I thought I saved one of my BB but it didn't survive in the pot.

Nik, spider mites can be an issue in our area; when the weather heats up I occasionally make a run thru the gardens, blasting everything with a hose -- irrigate/wash/prune/inspect all at the same time.

Buford, Cecily, and Diane, many of the new micro dwarf buddleias are promoted as non invasive, but our gardens aren't the best testing ground for that since even our old big ones were very tame.

I'd love to hear if anybody's growing Flutterby Flow, the groundcover buddleia. Lo and Behold's version did not get the greatest reviews, and I'm hoping Flutterby has overcome the issues such as lack of fragrance and attractiveness to butterflies.

jannike

I'd never heard of these but they sound wonderful. I have the old type, two big weedy monsters with lots of deadwood which are not an ornament in the garden although its too dry for them to multiply. I keep them as a source of shade and a place for the birds to live. I have the white kind which I later found did not attract butterflies but hummingbirds love them. With the drought I've had very little bloom. These little guys are so pretty and I can well imagine them looking very nice among roses.

Has anybody heard of a small BB cultivar called 'Blue Chip'? I think it must be a L&B cultivar. It is the only smaller cultivar available over here and I would like to know any opinions people might have about it.

Blue Chip is part of the "Lo and Behold" group of BBs produced by Proven Winners, and it's available in many gardening centers. Diane

Yes, as Diane said. Blue Chip is the largest of the micros and the easiest to find. I haven't tried it Nik, since I wanted an even smaller one. The Lo and Beholds generally are getting mixed reviews so far, and I'm not seeing much yet on the Flutterby, but I'll report back after I've worked with them for awhile.

jannike