Dwarf butterfly bush delivers big burst of color

This is one part in a weekly series featuring the UC Davis Arboretum’s “Garden Gems” series – 45 can’t-fail, easy-care, low-water plants well adapted to our region and that add sparkle to drought-tolerant landscapes.

Dwarf butterfly bush

Buddleia davidii “Buzz Series”

Size: Reaches 5 to 6 feet tall at maturity.

Bloom season: Comes in a variety of colors including purple, lavender, sky blue and white; from late spring into fall.

Exposure: Needs full sun for best bloom.

Pruning needs: Prune to increase branching in early season; cut back hard in winter.

Water needs: Medium to low; once established, water every other week or once a month.

Snapshot: Part of the “Buzz Series” of hybrids, this new form of butterfly bush gets only one-third the size of older varieties but still provides large and showy clusters of flowers. Like its name implies, this colorful shrub is a magnet for a large variety of butterflies. Buddleia easily propagates itself; this popular shrub is considered a noxious weed in Oregon and Washington. To keep it from spreading, remove spent flowerheads before they form seeds.

For more on “Garden Gems,” click on arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Dwarf butterfly bush delivers big burst of color."