Buddleia x Blueberry Pie™ – Blueberry Pie™ Butterfly Bush

The Blueberry Pie™ butterfly bush is a dwarf "butterfly tree" that offers all the charm of its larger cousins in a format perfectly suited to modern gardens. This shrub's main benefit is its ability to produce a phenomenal quantity of fragrant flowers that attract butterflies non-stop, all summer long. Its compact habit and ease of care make it an ideal choice for adding life and colour to borders or pots.

Characteristics

• Foliage: It develops deciduous foliage composed of lance-shaped, lovely silvery grey-green leaves, which showcase the dark flowers.
• Flowering: From mid-summer until frost, it produces an abundance of long panicles of small, rich violet-blue flowers. The flowers are fragrant and provide an irresistible nectar source for butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
• Light: It demands full sun for healthy growth and maximum flowering.
• Habit: It forms a shrub with a bushy, compact, and rounded habit.
• Growth: Fast. It reaches a height and spread of about 60 to 90 cm (2-3 feet).
• Soil: It thrives in average, very well-drained soil. Excellent drainage is the key to its winter survival.
• Hardiness: Its hardiness is rated for Zone 5. In colder climates, it often behaves like an herbaceous perennial (dying to the ground and regrowing from the roots) if well-protected.
• Resistance: It demonstrates good resistance to deer.

Uses

• Types of Use: Its compact size makes it perfect for small gardens, the front of borders, mass plantings, or for growing in large containers.
• Ornamental Features: Its main attraction is the continual spectacle of butterflies visiting its flowers. Its spikes of violet-blue flowers bring a rich colour and airy texture to the summer garden.

Care

• Watering: Water regularly the first year. Once established, it tolerates drought well. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.
• Fertilizing: It is not very demanding. A spring application of compost is sufficient.
• Pruning: Pruning is essential. Wait to see new growth at the base in spring, then prune all of last year's stems back hard to about 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). Deadheading spent flowers will prolong the bloom.
• Planting: Plant it in the spring in a very sunny location, in soil that does not retain water, especially in winter.
• Winter Protection: The best protection is perfect drainage and a sheltered location. A good mulch applied after the ground freezes can help the roots survive.