Hummingbird Gardens

Butterfly Bush — A shrub that has had a prime place in hummingbird gardens is butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), shown in the picture at the top of this page. Butterfly bush can get 6′-12′ tall and have a spread of 4′-15′ in warm climates, but even so, consider pruning it back to the ground in the winter garden. It will re-emerge from its roots in spring. Blooms tend to be larger and more prolific on butterfly bush’s new growth, giving you incentive for pruning it. You essentially want to treat butterfly bush as if it were an herbaceous perennial rather than a shrub. Blooms on butterfly bushes can be purple, pink, white, or red, and they usually have an orange throat in the center.

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Butterfly Bush — A shrub that has had a prime place in hummingbird gardens is butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), shown in the picture at the top of this page. Butterfly bush can get 6′-12′ tall and have a spread of 4′-15′ in warm climates, but even so, consider pruning it back to the ground in the winter garden. It will re-emerge from its roots in spring. Blooms tend to be larger and more prolific on butterfly bush’s new growth, giving you incentive for pruning it. You essentially want to treat butterfly bush as if it were an herbaceous perennial rather than a shrub. Blooms on butterfly bushes can be purple, pink, white, or red, and they usually have an orange throat in the center.