I had thought about putting in a butterfly bush or two around the side of the house where they might fill in some empty spots. But I did some reading and saw that a majority of southern and eastern states consider it to be an invasive species. I certainly don't want to promote the spread of an invasive species. So what would be a good alternative? I live in Colorado (zone 5) where Summers are hot and dry and winters are moderately cold. I really want to attract some colorful wildlife to my little corner of the city.
Check further into that before deleting the butterfly bush from your plant choices. You can email the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension or call your local office to find out if there is a problem with Buddleja davidii being invasive in Colorado. A plant that is a problem in a warm, humid area of the country may not be in your climate.
I'm in zone 8 SE Texas... I grew my first Butterfly Bush this past year. The first light frost pretty much killed off every leaf. I hope it will come back. With a plant that seems that "timid", I don't how it could become invasive... unless it puts out all sorts of runners (which I didn't notice). Good luck... let us know what you find out.
Well, Our butterfly bushes do wonderfully our here in Pa where it gets very cold. All except the one that the tree ran into. That one may have a very big setback next year but it will survive.
I live in Zone 7 and they are invasive in my location. Of course they weren't when I first planted them That's what happens when you live long enough and have planted enough different plants. They can make a nice small tree here that the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies love. What made me pull two of the three I started with was their seed production. Thousands of seedlings coming up everywhere. A nice variety of native perennials (coneflowers, echinachea, Black-eyed Susan's, etc.) are great for an alternative for the same wildlife. Good luck and would love to know what you find out for your location.
I'm in zone 5 too, and here the Butterfly Bush dies back to the ground each year. I have never seen volunteers or runners from ours, so I don't think you should have a problem V
I have a chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus, that I love but am not sure it is hardy in your zone. It's drought tolerant and just generally a real trooper in the garden. Butterfly, bees and hummingbirds love it and it somewhat resembles the butterfly bush.
Thanks, Netty. That's encouraging. I'll look into that, Annieh. I got onto the Colorado State University Extension webpage and did a search for "butterfly bush." Of everything that came up, nothing discouraged the planting of them. In fact, I found an article from June of this year that listed the Butterfly Bush as something to plant to attract butterflies (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05504.html). So I might continue looking into it. Thanks all for the input. Just learning about the Colorado State University Extension webpage was huge. It's loaded with info that I can use.
V, you might want to check out the USDA plant database website. It has a searchable function for invasive plants by state and also an extensive list of plants that are endangered by state in case you might want to plant some natives that are having a hard go at it....plus a whole list of other things.
V... if you decide to go with alternative plants that attract butterflies, there is an online nursery out of Santa Fe called High Country Gardens. They list which plants attract butterflies, etc... and since your climate is probably pretty close to theirs, you might find some stuff from them. I have ordered from them in the past and got great looking plants and friendly service.
