Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip Buddleia 'SMNBDD' Height: 30 inches Spread: 30 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a Other Names: Summer Lilac Group/Class: Lo & Behold Series Brand: Proven Winners Description: A valuable compact garden plant with showy spikes of ruby and fuchsia flowers in late summer when little else blooms; attracts butterflies; may be cut back to the ground each spring as it regrows vigorously, and blooms on new wood; great for small spaces Ornamental Features Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip features showy panicles of fragrant ruby-red flowers with fuchsia overtones at the ends of the branches from mid summer to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has grayish green deciduous foliage. The fuzzy narrow leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color. Landscape Attributes Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics. Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. Butterfly Bush, Lo & Behold Ruby Chip makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
