Pugster® White Butterfly Bush

Butterfly bushes are known for their glowing jewel colors, with long spikes of blooms giving off a honey fragrance that attracts butterflies, other insects, and even hummingbirds. The trouble is that these plants are tall, reaching 8 feet or more quickly, and they take up a lot of room. Some of the newer dwarf forms are tantalizing, and they are great garden shrubs, but they don’t have those big flower spikes. At least, they didn’t before the development of the Pugster range, which puts traditional big flowers spikes onto dwarf bushes just a few feet tall. You get the best of both worlds – big, showy blossoms and compact, space-saving plants – what a great development.

White is a very desirable color in the garden – cool, sophisticated, calm, and blending with any other color at all – no more color clashes in your garden. You can even build a white garden or bed, using nothing but white blooms – it’s a stunning look. White blooms always look great from late afternoon and all through the evening, glowing beautifully in the fading light. It’s the perfect garden color if you use your garden in those hours, to relax after a hard workday. Dark colors disappear, but white springs out to welcome you.

If you want the combination of big white blooms on a compact bush, look no further than the Pugster® White Butterfly Bush. Like a short but sturdy pug dog, and just as cute, it grows only 2 feet wide, with an arching spread. The flower spikes are an enormous 13 inches long, and they keep on coming and coming from early summer right through fall to the first frost. This great little plant will be top dog in your garden.

Growing the Pugster® White Butterfly Bush

Size and Appearance

The Pugster White Butterfly Bush is a deciduous shrub with a compact dense structure. The stems are unusually thick and strong for a dwarf plant, giving it a very sturdy look. These thick stems have leaves closely placed along them, so you get a naturally bushy and dense plant – very different from the traditional tall butterfly bush, with its open, twiggy look. The leaves are long and spear-like and dark green, with a gray tone. They are about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide, with a long, tapering tip.

The first flower buds appear at the end of the new branches, and later along the stems at every leaf, creating a constant and profuse display. The flowers are tiny, but with literally thousands of them in the big, fat spikes, it is very showy. These spikes are 13 inches long and 4 inches across, with a tapering conical form. The top arches over gracefully, giving a lovely look. Each tiny flower is a glowing white jewel, and when set against the gray-green leaves the look is remarkable – and gorgeous. As that first spike begins to fade new ones are already opening along the stem, so that flowering is continuous from mid-summer right into the fall.

Using the Pugster® White Butterfly Bush in Your Garden

Where not to plant this great bush is really the question, because it can be used pretty much anywhere in any garden. Plant it in the front of beds, tuck it between evergreens, grow a row along a fence, path or driveway, or grow it in a planter box – the choices are yours, and they are all good. With its neutral coloring you can never go wrong, no matter where you place it. Use a single plant in a smaller bed, or group them together in drifts, spacing plants 2 feet apart for a continuous flow. With its love of sun and drier soil it is perfect for those hot, difficult spots that can be so hard to fill.

Hardiness

The Pugster White Butterfly Bush is hardy all the way from zone 5 to zone 9. In zone 5 it is important to plant in a well-drained spot, but with its sturdy growth this variety is more cold-resistant than many other butterfly bush varieties.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is always the best location for this bush – shade will reduce flowering significantly. Choose a dry spot to grow it – this bush loves drier, well-drained soil, and doesn’t like heavy, wet spots at all. Too much moisture will also reduce winter survival, so in colder zones plant on higher ground, in a raised bed or on a slope.

Maintenance and Pruning

You can remove dead heads for appearance, but unlike other butterfly bushes, this one keeps on reblooming regardless, which is a great asset if you are busy. In spring, just as the new buds are sprouting, remove any dead, weak or damaged stems, leaving a sturdy framework. Cut the stems back by up to one-half, just above a pair of strong buds. That’s it, job done for another year. Pests and diseases are almost never problems, so relax and enjoy the beauty of the blooms, and the antics of those butterflies and hummingbirds.

History and Origin of the Pugster® White Butterfly Bush

Timothy White of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc, in Spring Lake, Michigan, is a notable breeder of butterfly bushes, and he decided to breed dwarf plants with big heads – something that didn’t exist. In 2012 he crossed together a variety called ‘Pink Delight’ with one his own seedlings, called `UC 608`. The next year, among the seedlings, he found a great plant with pure white flowers and compact growth. He patented it as `SMNBDW` in 2017, and it is sold as Pugster White®.

Buying the Pugster® White Butterfly Bush at The Tree Center

We love being able to offer these great new plants to our customers, and with its winning combination of compact size and white blooms, this one is a top favorite. Order now, because they are leaving the farm fast, and they will soon all be gone.

*Cannot be shipped to the states of Oregon or Washington