Sterile Varieties of Butterfly Bush

It might be time to consider new seedless or low-fertility hybrids that have made their way into nurseries in recent years

I have mixed feelings about grow and advertise butterfly Bush . On the one hand , they are beautiful and authentic garden plants ; on the other hand , their scrawny nature can not be deny . Keep these facts in mind before buy one of these shrub .

Butterfly Bush Facts

Butterfly bush ’s scraggy to invasive nature is due to fecund ejaculate output . butterfly stroke bushes are wide adaptable to a variety of conditions , easy go under into natural and disturbed landscapes — even concrete crack ( photo below ) .

Duringour six - year trialat the Chicago Botanic Garden , seedling were notice at nonweedy levels in our garden . Butterfly bush should n’t be grow — or should be grown with circumspection — in areas where they ’ve become troublesome . B. davidiiis banned for sale in Oregon and Washington , where it is considered an invasive mourning band , and a number of other states from coast to coasthave it on their watch list . Only20 states do not currently listB. davidiias a weedy or invasive problem .

While deadheading and weeding out seedling are helpful in reducing the potential spread of butterfly bush , works breeders might be the answer to the problem . Myriad new seedless or low - fertility hybrids have trickled into the market in late years .

B. davidii‘Miss Molly’ . pic : courtesy of Proven Winners Color Choice

B. davidii‘Miss Ruby’ . pic : good manners of Proven Winners Color Choice

“Sterile” Butterfly Bush Varieties

In 2011 , Oregon sanction the sale of cultivar that produce 2 percent or less viable seed . Oregon prohibits these sterile hybrid from being called butterfly stroke bush because the name is too closely connected in commerce toB. davidii . In Oregon , these flora must be judge as summer lilac , nectar bush , or seedless butterfly bush . The varieties lean below are turn over sterile :

B. davidii‘Asian Moon ’

B. davidii‘Miss Molly ’

B. davidii‘Miss Ruby ’

Flutterby ™ serial

Lo & Behold ® series

A Top-Performing Sterile Butterfly Bush

‘ Purple Haze’(photo below)is just one of the summary and unimaginative cultivars in the groundbreaking Lo & Behold ® serial . Deep purpleness – low-spirited flowers were abundantly and continuously bring on ; because the plant is sterile , all energy is put into stool flowers rather than ejaculate . Its numberless blooms arch outward and down atop low - spreading plants . Its little , compact habit makes ‘ Purple Haze ’ perfective tense for massing or using as a ground cover . The familial makeup of the Lo & Behold ® series includes a few species that are less suitable for cold realm , so winter hardiness was on our minds . Unlike Lo & Behold ® ‘Blue Saratoga chip ’ , which has die in three consecutive winters , ‘ Purple Haze ’ has been reliably theme - brave .

— Richard Hawke is director of ornamental plant life research at the Chicago Botanic Garden .

To see the Chicago Botanic Garden ’s flora - trial consequence on butterfly bush , gohere .

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