(Buddleia)
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| Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia) |
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| First off, let me start by saying that Butterfly Bushes confuse me. Yes they are one of the best attractors of butterflies available but there are so many varieties under different names and yet many look exactly alike! Pink Delight Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) is the most commonly available species. The flower cones are large, 8 or more inches, and the color is similar to that of lilac (Syringa species). The problem is there are at least 3 other common names used to describe this colored species. On top of that there are many hybrids that have been created and they all use the scientific name Buddleia davidii to describe them (why a subspecies name was never incorporated to differentiate them I will never know). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This one is called Royal Red Butterfly Bush, aka Buddleia davidii. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| So, instead of venting about the confusing nature of butterfly bushes any further I am going to try to show you the various colors available (keep in mind that most are sold as davidii). One thing that all butterfly bushes have in common, regardless of the color, is their ability to attract large amounts of butterflies. Here is something that I have found that works really well, especially if you have the room. Plant a row of bushes, one of each color that you can find. It is really quite spectacular looking when they are all in bloom. Something else to do is to put 3 or 4 varieties together to form a single bush. This works best with very young plants to start...perhaps 6-8 inch plants. Just dig your hole and put all of the plants into it together. Eventually you will have what appears to be a multicolored single butterfly bush. Other color combinations can be tried also...like honeycomb yellow and black knight - these two look fantastic together. Combining bushes works especially well for those who have limited space but want a wide variety of colors. When you see what is called a 3-in-1 Butterfly Bush for sale this is exactly what has been done (though alot of times some fusion of the plants at the base has taken place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A closeup of a cone of Pink Delight Butterfly Bush, aka Buddleia davidii. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This is Black Knight, one of the most spectacular of colors, aka Buddleia davidii. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is Honeycomb, or golden yellow butterfly bush, aka Buddleia weyeriana. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The one is called White Profusion. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nanho Blue, aka Buddleia davidii. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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