Welcome to Earthworks Plant Education Series!

Let's get down to business. The off season is when I have time to add more to the blog than occasional blab. I am going to feature 1-3 plants per week. Starting with perennials. I also encourage you to post questions. I will also blog about the other farm stuff inbetween plant features.



My first choice: is Buddleia (BUD lee a)

common name is 'Butterfly Bush.' (note-butterfly WEED is Asclepias, often confused)

Buddleia comes in all the colors shown here and white. This plant is rated for zone 5, not our zone 4. However, I have wintered this over in my open unprotected field 4 years in a row. I also wintered over "Pink Delight" in pots. Even if it only lives one season....they are so worth it.


Buddleia is sometimes called 'summer lilac.' This is obvious, as the flower color & shape looks similar. Flower heads are 6-12" long. My plants start blooming in July and go until hard frost, the most prolific flower producer in my field.

Butterflies cover these plants during their bloom period, especially the monarchs in late summer. Buddleia are sweetly scented, similar to vanilla, but a fragrance all their own.

Think the above photos looks unreal? Like it couldn't be possible? So many gorgeous clusters on one plant? My plants get very close to getting this loaded.

Above is Pink Delight, so pretty.

Plant Information:

-Install plants in well drained soil, can tolerant dry/wet periods once established

-Full Sun (8 or more hrs. of full sun daily to thrive)

-Water at installation, then 2x weekly during the growing season (1-2" per week total, minus rain)

-Prune back hard-at the end of the season, cut it back to 3" from the crown. It will rapidly re-grow to a large plant in one season. Mine get about 5+ feet tall in one season, for real!

-height 5-7' and space about 3' apart

-foliage is silvery green

-dividing is not recommended as these are woody plants, best to just buy more plants!

-pinching back new growth, especially on newer plants will encourage more branching

-Cutting flowers: cut in the morning when flowers are cool. Select trusses that are more mature with nearly all of the flowers open. If cut too young (see topmost photo w/many flowers unopened) flower head will collapse. Mature stems cut during the heat of the day may also collapse initially. Place stems directly into water after cutting, and keep out of the sun. Stems may take 24 hrs. to recover. You can always just snip out the collapsed tip. Often, I use just the main developed flower on the stem, and the smaller side ones get stripped off on the shop floor. That's the life of a bouquet flower stem! It's not complicated. Each type of flower has it's peak cutting stage, it's just a matter of knowing when the time is right for maximum vase life.

-seasonsal pruning of spent flowers will encourage blooming

-loved by good insects & hummingbirds, deer resistant.

Earthworks plans to have a variety of these gems for sale next spring.