Pugster® Amethyst Butterfly Bush

Butterfly bushes are truly beautiful, with their huge spikes of richly-colored flowers, in all the most gorgeous and jewel-like colors possible. They look outstanding in the garden, but sadly they can be big, with long, spreading branches, and they easily become overgrown and wild – not what you want in any garden, especially a smaller one. Now, after a long wait, we have the first dwarf butterfly bush with full-sized flower spikes in a wonderful light-blue color. They attract butterflies and pollinating insects, and they smell great too, but this plant’s compact form fits anywhere. The Pugster® Amethyst Butterfly Bush has arrived.

The Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush is a fast-growing plant, with sturdy branches forming a compact clump about 2 feet tall and wide. They are thick and solid, holding up the flowers with no flopping. Dense branching means lots of flowers too, and it also helps winter survival in colder zones. The slender, tapering green leaves, 8 inches long and just 2 ½ inches wide, cluster along the stems, giving a rich background to the flowers. There have been other dwarf butterfly bushes, but up until now they have all had small flower spikes that, yes, are attractive enough, but they don’t begin to rival the huge clusters seen on the old-fashioned bushes. 

With the Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush it’s different. The flower spikes are huge, and they look even bigger when carried on a small plant. The major spikes are a full 8 inches long, and 2½ inches in diameter at the base. They are carried at the ends of each stem. Side branches also carry large flower spikes that are at least 5½ inches long and 2 inches in diameter, and they can often be as big as the terminal spikes. Each spike has over 1,000 small flowers in it, which are the perfect pale, bright blue, with just a hint of mauve, creating a gorgeous amethyst coloring, with the jewel-like tones we see in the best of the older varieties. The flowers have the full, rich and honeyed fragrance expected, and they attract butterflies and other insects from miles around, entrancing you – and especially children – with their magic. This is classic butterfly bush blooming, but on a small bush that is easily managed and fits into the smallest spaces – and into planters too. Blooming is continuous from mid-summer to the first hard frost, and for color in the later parts of the season, you really can’t beat it. 

The Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush is easy to grow too. It is hardy in zone 5, re-sprouting reliably in spring. Don’t be impatient – butterfly bushes are slow starters, and this one is no exception. Plant it in full sun, in well-drained soil – slopes and higher spots in the garden are ideal, or in the drier zone underneath the overhang of a roof. Most winter deaths can be traced to wet soil conditions. The soil doesn’t need to be rich, in fact sandier soils are preferred, but good drainage is essential. Pests and diseases are normally never a problem, and this is a very easy plant to grow. Remove the spent flower spikes just above the first pair of leaves, to encourage more flowering. In spring, once you see new growth emerging, trim out any dead branches, and cut the remaining ones back to the first pair of strong buds. That’s it – nothing else is needed to ensure months of continuous blooming. If you are growing this plant in a container in cooler zones, once it is dormant store it in a cool place not much below freezing and keep the soil dry. You can also lift it from the pot and plant it temporarily in the garden, leaving the top inch of the root ball above the ground level, for drainage.

The Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush is the result of a detailed breeding program begun in 2012 by Timothy Wood, from Spring Meadow Nursery, in Grand Haven, Michigan. He began with a dwarf seedling of Buddleia davidii he had bred earlier and took pollen from a plant of Buddleia davidii `Pink Delight` to create seed. ‘Pink Delight’ was developed in Boskoop, the Netherlands, in the 1980s, and its massive spikes of flowers on a 6-foot bush are the most popular of all the pink traditional-style butterfly bushes. Among the seedlings he found one which was a compact bush, but with full-sized spikes of blue flowers – exactly what he wanted. He also created four other similar plants in other colors, and they are collected together in the Pugster® range released by Proven Winners®, a division of Spring Meadow Nursery. It is their cute, perky, compact form that connects them to the cute little pug dog. This plant was patented in early 2019, and we are thrilled to be able to offer it this year – it truly is a real breakthrough in compact bushes. The demand for smaller butterfly bushes is overwhelming, so order now, before they are all gone. Let’s bring back those traditional butterfly bush blossoms, but on a neat, compact bush that is as cute as the little dog whose name it carries.