If you want to attract butterflies, then Butterfly Bush is the way to go. Most old-school varieties of Butterfly Bush grow very tall and wide. However, if you don’t have enough room, several new breeds are dwarf and are perfect for any small space.

Butterfly Bush thrives in full sun, producing many clusters of fragrant flowers throughout the summer, and isn’t picky out soil, as long as it’s not too wet. All Butterfly Bush attract pollinators such as Bees, Hummingbirds, and of course, Butterflies. Older varieties can grow to eight or ten feet tall and almost as wide, but shorter breeds are easy to find.

You may want to consider some of the newer versions if smaller plants are your goal. The Pugster Series boasts large flowers on plants that only grow to about two feet tall and wide. Another dwarf type is called low and behold. These miniature varieties also grow only two to three feet tall, with flowers slightly smaller than that of Pugster. If you want compact, but not necessarily dwarf, check out breeds such as Buzz or Monarch series, as these grow from three to five feet tall.

A final benefit of newer varieties comes down to the seeds. Old Butterfly Bush blooms, if not deadheaded, can become invasive and spread their seeds among your landscape, resulting in a Butterfly Bush growing where you don’t want them. However, newer varieties don’t call for deadheading, as they produce very few seeds and won’t invade your landscape.

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