Lil’ Lavender Butterfly Bush has light purple flowers with a light, sweet fragrance that attracts pollinators like butterflies and bees, which is excellent for biodiversity in your garden. All the varieties of Butterfly Candy are well-branched and are ideal for containers and smaller gardens because of their size. These flowering perennials mature to 2–3′ high x 2–3′ wide. Butterfly Candy butterfly bushes are easy-care, prune-free, and water-wise once established.
Butterfly Candy is a perennial and will produce new foliage in late spring in warmer climates and early summer in colder parts of the country. Lilac purple blooms of Lil’ Lavender Buddleia will start to emerge in the summer and continue into fall.
Butterfly Candy bushes grow and flower best in full sun to part shade. However, they require a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight. They can grow in partial shade in warmer climates but still need at least 6 hours of sun, or it will reduce their flower production.
Buddleia is tolerant to temperatures as low as -20°C and thrives in USDA Zones 5-10, making it viable for most continental United States. However, be patient with buddleia since the shrub might not flush in the spring as soon as other perennials.
Buddleia plants enjoy moist, well-draining soil that is rich in nutrients. Water weekly during the spring and summer and allow the top layer of soil to dry out between watering to prevent root rot. After your Butterfly Candy is established, it will be a water-wise plant that will only require water during periods of extreme drought.
Since new growth appears on new wood, pruning can wait until the new wood is ready to grow in the spring. Be patient with your Butterfly Candy shrub because it flushes later than other perennials.
Deadheading is encouraged with buddleia. Deadheading means that you trim the spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds. The practice of deadheading also prevents seeds from forming and dropping from the spent flowers, keeping your Butterfly Candy tidy and compact.
As a blooming plant, butterfly bushes do well with an all-purpose fertilizer or a rose fertilizer intended to promote blooming. You can apply your fertilizer in the spring and early summer. You shouldn’t apply fertilizer after July.
If you are planting rows of butterfly bushes, you will want to space them about 2-3 feet apart if you desire dense cover. If you’re going to show off the mounding habit and provide more space between each fern, plant them at least 4+ feet apart.
Plant your butterfly bush in sunny locations with 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. You can use them as short hedge rows that complement evergreen shrubs like boxwoods, nandinas, gardenias, or distylium. Since these are compact growing perennials, they are perfect for containers and patio gardens.
Luis (verified owner) –
The first thing that I noticed when I opened my package was the fantastic smell. It rivals the fantastic scent of Lantana. It arrived in great condition, and it arrived earlier than I was expecting. Lil’ Lavender is my favorite out of the five. I am pairing this with a mystic spire salvia. Pairing bright blue with a soft lavender. It’s going to feel cooler outside next summer.
Shelly McGuire (verified owner) –
My butterfly bushes arrived in perfect condition and in bloom. They were packaged with great care. I wasn’t expecting their amazing fragrance – it is so lovely!
Cynthia –
The plant arrived healthy and well packaged.