Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

5-6 Feet

Mature Spread

4-5 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 9

One of the easiest shrubs to grow, Buddleia davidii Nanho Blue is a must-have butterfly bush for landscapes in zones 5 through 9. It grows quickly each spring and summer to a compact 5 to 6 feet high and 4 to 5 feet around. If you want to attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and songbirds to your yard, be sure to include several of these shrubs. Although they do fine standing alone, planting several is even better. And although pollinators love the long, silvery blue flowers, deer leave the plant alone!

Be sure to place one Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush near a walkway or patio where you can enjoy the fragrant flowers and watch flitting and flying visitors. Its compact form can work in a large container. The 4- to 10-inch flower spikes bring a bluish color to complement orange and yellow flowers all summer. What’s more, this fantastic shrub is easy to care for and can grow in nearly any soil type or moisture level. 

Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush Care

Choose a spot with either full or partial sun for this versatile butterfly magnet. It will do best with at least 4 to 6 hours of sun a day. It can grow in poor soil, as long as it drains well. After planting, water it well and be sure to keep it watered during peak heat or drought. Once it begins to grow well and seems established in its spot, you can cut back on watering. Do not worry too much about overwatering or underwatering unless you see signs of wilting. 

All or most of the leaves will die back in winter, but birds still can land on the branches. Wait until late winter or early spring and cut the plant all the way back to just above the ground. It will quickly regrow. There is no need to fertilize butterfly bushes, but you can top-dress the ground each spring with some compost to replenish the soil if you like. Container-grown buddleia can benefit from a one-time spring application of a slow-release fertilizer.

Note that in some regions, butterfly bushes can naturalize and become invasive, but newer hybrids are less sterile, and this is not a concern in many areas of the country. 

Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush Spacing

Space your Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush plants about 4 feet apart in a mass planting to allow the mature branches to reach their full length.