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I have two butterfly bushes blooming this year, and both are hybrids that were bred to stay small.
‘Buzz Hot Raspberry grows 3 feet tall with hot pink flowers:
‘Dark Dynasty’ is dark purple with hints of pink in its tiny flowers. It makes them almost glow:
I planted ‘Buzz Hot Raspberry’ in my porch flowerbed last year. It got a slow start this spring, but I’m pleased it survived the Polar Vortex. ‘Dark Dynasty’ is growing about 3 feet away in its first year in that same flowerbed.
I planted both cultivars next to my porch in hopes of seeing some hummingbirds up close. They love to sip nectar from butterfly bush flowers. And while Japanese beetles usually go crazy for butterfly bushes, I haven’t seen them bother either of these plants yet.