Pugster Blue Butterfly Bush

Buddleia x ‘Pugster Blue’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Perennial Shrub

Height at Maturity: 2′

Width at Maturity: 2′
Spacing: 2′ for solid hedges, 4′ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Dense, Mounding

Growth Rate: Fast

Flower Color: Purplish-Blue with Yellowish-Orange centers

Flower Size: 6-8″ long spikes

Flowering Period: June to Frost!

Flower Type: Spike

Fragrant Flowers: Yes

Foliage Color: Green with slightly Silvery-Gray overtone

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color: No

Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun

Water Needs: Average, low when established

Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Sand, Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well-drained moist to dry

Soil pH: 5.5 – 8.5 (Acid to Moderately Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low to Average

Attracts: Visual Attention, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Insect, Rabbit

Description

Always wanted a butterfly bush but haven’t had the room to grow one? Meet ‘Pugster Blue’; one of the lowest and smallest growing butterfly bushes ever. Topping out at merely 2 feet tall and maybe a little wider, this compact cutie produces loads of large, full-sized spikes of honey-scented purplish-blue flowers that keep coming and coming all summer through fall that the butterflies and hummingbirds will flock to. Thanks to thick, sturdy stems, all the varieties in the Pugster® series offers vastly improved hardiness and winter survival over other types of dwarf butterfly bush. Super heat tolerant too!

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in a spreading mound 18 to 24 inches tall and wide, ‘Pugster Blue’ is one of the best butterfly bush ever for use as a groundcover or container specimen. We suggest planting in a pot at least 14 inches in diameter. It serves well as an accent in larger, mixed container gardens. In larger landscape spaces it is an ideal selection for use as a low border along paths and walkways, in groupings or massed as a groundcover in landscape borders and on sunny slopes and embankments, or as an underplanting for trees that allow sunlight to shine beneath their canopies. A welcome addition to butterfly and hummingbird gardens, Xeriscape gardens (low water needs), and blue-themed color gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 2″ for mass plantings or solid borders; 4′ + for space between plants.

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Growing Preferences

Pugster Blue Butterfly Bush is exceptionally easy to grow. It thrives in full to mostly sun and isn’t too picky about soil type, provided the soil is well-drained. It prefers a moist but well-drained soil when young however is quite drought tolerant when established. At least 6 hours of direct sun per day is suggested for best flowering. As with so many other perennial plants, constantly soggy or wet soils can be problematic. No deadheading is required though you can remove spent flowers if you want.

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Butterfly Bushes…

How To Plant & Care For Butterfly Bushes

Planning a Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden Design & Planting Tips

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us!

I had a pugster that I bought from a nursery a year ago I loved the big bright blue/purple flowers and the compact size of this butterfly bush (compared to my 6′ regular one). So, I searched around and found one here and ordered 2! They both arrived unharmed and had a couple flowers on them! Very happy with condition the came in.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! Beth | WBG 🙂

Healthy full plant and as always packed well. It’s been in the ground for a week and already has 5 blooms. The color is exactly as the picture- I would say more purple than blue and it looks fantastic in front of my bright yellow sunshine ligustrums.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂