Lavender Cascade Butterfly Bush

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

5-6 Feet

Mature Spread

5-6 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 10

The Lavender Cascade butterfly bush is one of the best varieties of butterfly bush to grow in colder areas. Even if winter kills the top growth, it can regrow repeatedly from the base. The dense growth and wide flower panicles will give any garden space a lush and romantic look. The pale lavender flowers and medium green leaves blend well with both bright-colored and pastel flower beds and lend a relaxed feel.  The small nectar-filled flowers attract beneficial pollinators for months in the summer.

Butterfly bush is a beautiful addition to ornamental and edible gardens. These bushes are tolerant of a wide variety of climates and can be grown in zones 5-10 with little effort. Deer are not likely to browse butterfly bushes if other more palatable plants are available. Many beneficial pollinators flock to butterfly bushes, helping to increase the pollination rate of your produce crops. The low-growing and wide shape of the Lavender Cascade butterfly bush works well for erosion control on a slope or at the top of retaining walls. 

Lavender Cascade Butterfly Bush Care

Butterfly bush will grow well in either alkaline or acid soil and adapts to most soil types. Amend heavy clay soil with compost before planting, and mulch every year with 2-3 inches of organic material like finely shredded arborist chips or leaves. Heavy fertilizing is not necessary and may cause weak, unhealthy growth. Butterfly bushes can develop drought tolerance if watered correctly in the early years. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to encourage deeper root development, which increases drought tolerance in plants. 

Pruning Lavender Cascade butterfly bush is easy even for first-time gardeners. Remove all dead, dying, diseased, or crossing branches. If there is significant dieback from the winter, the whole shrub can be cut back to within 8 inches of the ground or to the first emerging buds on the lower branches. This shrub blooms on new growth and will flower well even after severe pruning early in the growing season. Deadhead spent flowers to keep the plant in a tidy, compact mound and to encourage blooming up to the first frost of fall. 

Lavender Cascade Butterfly Bush Spacing

The mature height and spread of the Lavender Cascade butterfly bush is 5-6 feet. Space plants 5 feet apart from each center when planting in a mixed shrub border or as part of an informal low-growing hedge. Lavender Cascade can be grown in large planters for many years and is great for adorning a patio or deck with summer-long color. Plant a single shrub in a pot with at least a 16-inch diameter and 5-gallon soil capacity.

SKU:

1231014256-pc