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Pugster® Amethyst Butterfly Bush

Buddleia 'SMNBDL'


Regular price $2354
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Delivery and Shipping

Delivery and Shipping

Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50 $9.99
$50 - $99.99 $14.99
$100 - $149.99 $16.99
$150 - $198.99 $24.99
$199+ FREE

✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

Plant Profile & Growing Essentials

Cold hardy, Compact/Dwarf, Seedless, Flowering, Fragrant, Deer-resistant, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts pollinators, Drought resistant, Heat Tolerant, Container Friendly, and Non-invasive

Specifications

  • Botanical Name
    Buddleia 'SMNBDL'
  • Height
    1-3 ft
  • Width
    1-3 ft
  • Growing Zones
    5-9
  • Sunlight
    • Full sun
  • Growth Rate
    Fast
  • Flower Color
    • Purple
  • Leaf Color
    • Green
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Pollinator Required
    No
  • Fragrant
    Yes
  • Bloom Period
    Early Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Late Fall
  • Does Not Ship To
    AK, HI, ID, MT, OR, WA

Planting & Care

Where to Plant

  • Sunlight: This shrub needs full sun, meaning at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily. While it can survive in partial shade, you will see fewer purple flower spikes and the stems may become leggy rather than staying compact.
  • Soil: It prefers well-drained soil that does not hold standing water. If you have heavy clay, plant it in a raised mound or add organic compost to the planting hole to ensure the roots can breathe and avoid rot.

Watering Requirements

During the first year, water deeply twice a week to help the roots dive deep into the soil. Once established, this Butterfly Bush is quite drought-tolerant, but consistent moisture during the hottest weeks of summer ensures the blooms stay vibrant and do not wilt prematurely. Avoid frequent shallow sprinkling, which encourages weak surface roots and makes the plant less resilient during dry spells.

Pruning Tips

The Pugster® series blooms on new wood, so you should prune it back to about 12 inches high in early spring just as new growth begins to emerge. Think of this like a seasonal "reset" that clears out dead stems and encourages a flush of fresh, vigorous branches that will carry this year's flowers. Deadheading spent blooms throughout the summer is also helpful because it signals the plant to keep producing new flower spikes instead of putting energy into seeds.

Fertilizer Needs

Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring as the first green leaves appear to fuel the summer growth spurt. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers late in the summer, as this can force tender new growth that will not have time to harden off before the first frost. This late-season growth is easily damaged by cold temperatures and can stress the overall health of the shrub.

Never fear! The Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster® Amethyst Butterfly Bush (Buddleia 'SMNBDL') is here to fill your garden up with all of the beauty of the bigger Butterfly Bushes but only take up a quarter of the space. Growing a Butterfly Bush is one of the pure joys of the summer garden. The colors are gorgeous and the scent is heavenly and butterflies overwhelmingly agree!

Pugster® has full-sized (and sometimes even bigger!) flowers, just like the full-sized shrubs, but on lush plants that maintain a smaller footprint. The plump blooms are fragrant and accent the aromatic silvery gray-green leaves and dense branching. Not only will the butterflies adore these blooms, but the Hummingbirds will show up in full force too!

Pugster® Amethyst is an icy shade of cool purple that looks great in the garden and is especially pretty in the vase. They have thick stems that are tailor-made for cutting, too! Hardy throughout USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9, Pugster® Buddleia only grow about 2 feet in height and width at maturity!

Planting and Application:

Don't worry about cutting the flowers to bring inside. Pugster® Amethyst is a flower machine and will keep blooming for you all summer up to the first frost. Speaking of frost, Pugster®'s are very cold hardy, down to -20! You'll enjoy loads of blooms in bouquets without depriving your bees and butterflies of a moment of nectar.

Butterfly Bushes are usually back-of-the-border shrubs, tall, and a little lanky with big arching stems that end in big cone-shaped panicles of richly hued flowers. Unfortunately, not every garden has room for these big boys. So choose the Pugster® Amethyst for compact, small-space gardening instead!

You'll want to use these little gems in the front of the border, in Cottage or Pollinator gardens, and to fill in gaps in your perennial flower beds and borders! These small-footprint shrubs even work great in containers, too!

  • Extra-Large & Fluffy Lavender Flower Panicles
  • Long Bloom Time, Rebloom & Late-Season Color
  • Butterflies Adore Them - Nectar-Rich Resources
  • Aromatic Silvery Sage Green Foliage
  • Beautiful Front of the Border, Edging & Container Plants

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Butterfly Bushes are easy to grow and need full sun to do their very best. Plant with Nature Hills Root Booster in a well-drained enriched site with a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch covering the entire root system. These durable plants are waterwise. Buddleias do best in well-drained soil with moderate enrichment, but they won't tolerate wet roots. Use containers or elevate the planting bed, if your soil drains poorly.

Deadheading the old blooms keeps the plant fresh-looking and keeps those flowers coming! Buddleia can act as herbaceous Perennials in cooler climates but are woody shrubs in warmer winter-growing zones. Prune back in the early spring before new growth emerges, nipping off any winter dieback. In cooler climates, in early spring, cut all of the branches down to a foot or less and allow all new growth to produce incredible new growth and flowers.

  • Full Sun Shrubs/Perennial Plants
  • Well-Drained Soil Of Any Kind
  • Moderate to Low Moisture
  • Deer & Drought Resistant
  • Prune In Early Spring

No matter what size your garden, there is room for the full-sized flowers on this petite Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster® Amethyst Butterfly Bush! Don't wait until we sell out, order yours today from Nature Hills.

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