Choosing the Perfect Butterfly Bush for Arizona Gardens
by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener
Butterfly Bush thrives in Arizona gardens, and there are good reasons. Our abundant mountain sunshine is just what these bloom-loving plants crave. They soak up those rays and produce a profusion of nectar-rich flowers the butterflies adore.
Butterfly bushes don't like to sit on soggy feet, and the natural composition of our mountain soil often provides the proper drainage to keep their roots happy and healthy. While other parts of the country have heavier clay soils, humidity, and long wet cycles, our drier conditions are ideal for growing the perfect butterfly bush.
Finally, while we do have our summer monsoon season, it's usually followed by plenty of sunny days. This moisture cycle, followed by warmth, is perfect for strong growth and beautiful blooms, making our gardens a haven for butterflies. Prescott offers a little slice of paradise for these lovely plants! Here are the local favorites for butterfly lovers.
Black Knight Butterfly Bush: Its deep, velvety purple flower spikes stand out beautifully against its silvery leaves, creating a dramatic focal point in your Arizona garden. Blooming all summer, these rich purple wands are irresistible to butterflies and pollinators. Growing to a manageable size, it fits nicely in borders or large pots.
Lo and Behold Pink Micro Chip Butterfly Bush delivers non-stop clusters of vibrant pink flowers, creating a delightful splash of color and a haven for butterflies. Staying under two feet in height and width, it's ideal for tucking into small spaces, lining pathways, or adding a cheerful spill to container plantings.
Nanho Purple Butterfly Bush offers slender, airy panicles of soft lavender-purple flowers that bloom profusely, creating a delicate yet abundant display that butterflies adore. Its more refined and slightly smaller habit, typically reaching 4-5 feet tall but with a narrower spread, makes it ideal for fitting into mixed borders or smaller garden spaces.
Petite Snow Butterfly Bush offers elegant, pure white flower spikes that bring a touch of cool sophistication to your garden. Despite its name, the blooms are abundant and create a lovely contrast against its green foliage throughout the summer. This variety is wonderfully compact, typically around 2-3 feet tall and wide. It is perfect for small gardens, borders, or even containers on your patio.
Pink Delight Butterfly Bush: Its long, elegant panicles of vibrant pink flowers bloom abundantly throughout the summer, creating a stunning display that draws butterflies and hummingbirds to your Prescott space. This vigorous grower reaches a nice height, perfect for adding structure to borders or standing alone as a lovely specimen.
Pugster Periwinkle Butterfly Bush offers surprisingly large, vibrant periwinkle-blue flower spikes that bloom non-stop from early summer right through frost. Unlike some larger butterfly bushes, Pugster Periwinkle stays a manageable 2 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for smaller spaces, borders, or even containers on your porch. It's a little powerhouse of color and pollinator appeal!
Sungold Butterfly Bush bursts forth with masses of cheerful, golden-yellow flower spikes that bloom abundantly from summer until the cool evenings of fall. Reaching a good height for borders or as a sunny focal point, and thriving in Arizona sunshine.
Each butterfly bush offers something special, a unique way to bring beauty and life to your garden. Consider your space, your color preferences, and the kind of magic you want to create, and you're sure to find the perfect butterfly bush to make your garden a haven for these enchanting creatures.
Until next issue, I'll be helping locals plant better Butterfly Bush here at Watters Garden Center.
