ShrubsButterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii
Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) is a fast-growing shrub, hardy in USDA zones 5-9, that matures to about 6-12 ft × 4-15 ft. It does best in full sun with medium water needs in well-drained, occasionally-dry and occasionally-wet soil. Expect yellow and purple blooms in summer and fall. It attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and pollinators, stands up well to deer, drought and heat.
- USDA zones
- 5-9
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Medium
- Mature size
- 6-12 ft × 4-15 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, Occasionally-dry, Occasionally-wet
- Bloom color
- Yellow, Purple
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Pollinators
- Tough against
- Deer, Drought, Heat, Humidity, Rabbits, Salt
- Native to
- China, Japan
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Butterfly Bush is hardy to about -20°F (estimated from USDA zone 5), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
See the Butterfly Bush in your own yard
Upload a photo and our AI designs with real plants like this one — matched to your USDA zone.
