Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush
Buddleia x 'SMNBDBT'
- Stay Protected with Plant Sentry ™
Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush - #3 Container is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry is designed to protect both consumers and the nursery trade from invasive plant pests and diseases. Sites that display the Plant Sentry protection badge are protected from consumers buying and nurseries shipping material carrying invasive pests and diseases.
This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.
Click Here to learn more

Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Shipping
To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.
Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.
Standard Shipping Rates
At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.
From | To | S&H |
---|---|---|
$0 | $19.99 | $24.99 |
$20 | $49.99 | $29.99 |
$50 | $69.99 | $34.99 |
$70 | $99.99 | $39.99 |
$100 | $129.99 | $44.99 |
$130 | $149.99 | $48.99 |
$150 | $150+ | Approx 28% |
Click here to see our full rates
Understanding Plant Options
Nature Hills offers plants in two main formats:
- Container Plants: Grown in pots with soil, sized by container volume and plant age
- Bare Root Plants: Dormant plants without soil, sized by height measurements
Container Plant Sizes
Container sizes indicate plant age and growing capacity rather than liquid volume equivalents. Our containers follow industry-standard nursery "trade gallon" specifications, which differ from standard liquid gallon measurements.
Young Plants (6 months to 18 months old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
2" x 2" x 3" | 0.18 - 0.21 dry quarts | 0.20 - 0.23 dry liters |
4" Container | 0.31 - 0.87 dry quarts | 0.35 - 0.96 dry liters |
4.5" Container | 0.65 dry quarts | 0.72 dry liters |
6" Container | 1.4 dry quarts | 1.59 dry liters |
1 Quart | 1 dry quart | 1.1 dry liters |
5.5" Container | 1.89 dry quarts | 2.08 dry liters |
Established Plants (18 months to 2.5 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
2 Quart | 2 dry quarts | 2.2 dry liters |
#1 Container | 2.26 - 3.73 dry quarts | 2.49 - 4.11 dry liters |
5" x 5" x 12" | 3.5 - 4.3 dry quarts | 3.85 - 4.74 dry liters |
Mature Plants (2-4 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
#2 Container | 1.19 - 1.76 dry gallons | 5.24 - 7.75 dry liters |
#3 Container | 2.15 - 2.76 dry gallons | 8.14 - 12.16 dry liters |
Large Plants (3-5 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
#5 Container | 2.92 - 4.62 dry gallons | 12.86 - 20.35 dry liters |
#6 Container | 5.25 - 6.01 dry gallons | 23.12 - 26.42 dry liters |
#7 Container | 5.98 - 6.53 dry gallons | 26.34 - 28.76 dry liters |
Bare Root Plants
Bare root plants are sold by height from the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may exceed minimum height requirements.
Common Sizes:
- Trees: 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet
- Shrubs & Perennials: 1 foot, 18 inches, 2 feet
Important Notes
Container Volume Specifications
- Trade Gallon Standard: Our containers follow industry-standard "trade gallon" specifications established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z60.1) for nursery stock
- Volume Variations: Actual soil volume may vary due to plant root systems and growing medium settlement
- Age Indicators: Container size primarily indicates plant age and maturity rather than liquid volume equivalents
Growing Conditions
- Plant size can vary based on variety and growing conditions
- Container size helps indicate plant maturity and establishment level
- Larger containers generally mean more established root systems and faster landscape establishment
Seasonal Availability
- Bare root plants are available seasonally when dormant
- Container plants are available throughout the growing season
- Specific varieties may have limited availability in certain sizes
Questions?
For questions about specific plant sizes or availability, please contact our plant experts who can help you choose the right size for your landscape needs.
Plant Highlights
Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush highlights at a glance!
Specifications
Specifications
-
Brand
-
Botanical Name
-
Growing Zones
-
Mature Height
-
Mature Spread
-
Sun ExposureFull Sun
-
Moisture
-
Soil
-
Growth RateMedium
-
Flower Color
-
Pollinator Friendly
-
Pollinator Required
-
Fragrant
-
Pruning Time
-
Bloom PeriodSummer, Fall

Growing Zones 5-9
The Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush (Buddleia x 'SMNBDBT') is a totally new look for Butterfly Bushes! If you love butterflies in the garden then these pollinator magnets are going to be the biggest little thing to hit your garden this year!
Pugster Blue® flowers are a bright true lavender-blue with a tiny pop of orange in the center of each individual bloom. You can't help but stop and look! Its beauty might make it seem fragile, but this is one tough plant! It laughs at even the coldest zone 5 winter.
But do you want to know the best thing? Even though the plants are small, the flowers aren't! Pugster Blue® is covered with full-sized panicles that are the same size as bigger Butterfly Bushes and that have the same honey-sweet scent! You'll still have plenty left to please the legions of butterflies, Hummingbirds, and pollinators like honeybees and native bees that are coming to visit!
The compact mounds of aromatic gray-green foliage only grow 2-3 feet in height and width and will be brimming with drooping panicles of lavender-blue spires! Growing throughout USDA planting zones 5 to 9, handling heat, sun, deer, and even saline conditions!
Planting and Application:
Proven Winners® has developed a new line of Buddleia that are true space-savers, just right for beds, borders, and containers. Any small-space urban garden or courtyard in the sun will benefit from these showy blooms!
Perfect container garden shrubs, the bountiful fluffy flowers will be brimming over the container edges and bloom until fall! Perfume and enhance your garden seating areas, porches, and patios with these lavender-blue blooms!
As beautiful as a specimen in the Cottage Garden, these lovely blooms look great in the Cut Flower garden and are must-haves in the Pollinator garden! But these easy-natured blooming shrubs are just as beautiful en masse and in rows throughout your landscape! Create vivid backdrops and low-growing edging borders to tie your entire yard together!
- Full-Sized True-Blue Honey-Scented Flowers
- Aromatic Soft Foliage & Compact Mounds
- Great in the Garden or Containers
- Fragrant Cut Flowers & Pollinator Garden Plants
- Containers & Planters, Courtyards & Small to Large Scale Gardens
#ProPlantTips for Care:
Butterfly Bushes are wonderfully easy to grow and all they ask for is full sun and steady water during their first year! Once established, Buddleia are low-water usage but do appreciate supplemental moisture during drought and the summer months to keep the flowers returning until frost. Provide a 3-4 inch deep layer of arborist mulch to support your shrub's root system. Like most butterfly favorites, this deciduous plant is drought tolerant and not on any deer's menu of favorite snacks.
Another Pugster® series Butterfly Bush, and there is no deadheading required to keep them blooming all summer for you! Go ahead and cut all of the flowers you want for bouquets! You will want to cut these plants back to the ground before spring, when grown in colder climates; acting more like an herbaceous perennial. For plants grown in warm growing zones, these woody shrubs only need an early spring trim will help ensure the best performance and best flowers.
- Full Sun Shrub/Perennial
- Well-Drained Soil
- Moderate Moisture & Fertility
- Prune to Ground Early Spring
- No Deadheading Required
Add some color and motion to your garden this year and order your Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bushes from us today! Don't wait. These will go fast so hurry and order yours today at Nature Hills Nursery!