Butterfly bush grows like a weed in my zone 9! So much so that it is now listed on our noxious weed list and only sterile cultivars can be sold. It is a very adaptable plant and should not be bothered by heat, humidity or drought once established. What it does not like is poor drainage.

Yes, butterfly bush is a weed in the PNW, but butterfly bush won't grow in Florida because of nematodes. There used to be a professional caterpillar/butterfly raiser in Florida who posted on the Butterfly Forum who said he grew them by keeping them in their pot - he may have said he planted them pot and all, I can't remember. If he planted them in the pot, the pot would have to have drainage holes, and I'd think the nematodes would eventually get to the roots through the holes.

Sorry, Anna, if I were you, I'd give up and plant other nectar plants that are more suitable for Florida. Porterweed, pentas, .lantana, turk's cap and salvias for the sulphurs, even Spanish needles are great, so probably zinnias would do, too.

Sherry

They are a weed in my region and grow out of any old wall, pavement or roof they can get a foothold in. They do not want rich living. To be honest I don't really understand why people try so hard to grow them in unsuitable places when they have a choice of so many other more attractive plants. They are gangly bushes, ugly in winter, whose flowers die unattractively and although butterflies enjoy the nectar they are not a larval food plant for species outside their natural range afaik.

Anna, that is correct about the nematodes. They are a nematode magnet, just like tomatoes. The only way to grow them is to keep them in a container where the nematodes can't migrate to the soil. I love them too and I've had them but it's a problem keeping them alive in a container in Florida's heat, you have to be on top of them with the water and yet not let them sit in water.

Has anyone else heard that concrete deters nematodes? My grand uncle Mathew used to grow the most amazing Fig trees in Baton Rouge, LA. They grew 20-25' tall and produced buckets of Figs. He said it was because he put lots of concrete rubble in the hole when planting, and if one used bricks, they had to have mortar on them. He never explained why to an 11 yr old, but I think about that because nematodes love Fig trees. Did he do it just for drainage? If so, why not any old rocks? Was his soil acidic and the lime in the concrete corrected the pH? Don't know. But another poster here, Tom, said he had heard that concrete deterred nematodes and he speculated that's the reason why the one living blooming Buddleia I have is doing well. A concrete retaining wall was rebuilt and this moved it closer to the Buddleia.

Anna

Do you have any whiteflies... the first picture looks kind of dark like soot.... I get that on my mmilkweed when they are being attacked by whiteflies... this has been a bad year for me and whitefly they are attacking my roses too.

Pretty sure they have some at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in their butterfly area - a pale yellow/white variety. It's very woodsy with dappled high shade there.

Have you looked at this from Floridata.com yet?

https://floridata.com/plant/142

Is it very humid where you are and are you trying to grow buddleia davidii? Davidii doesn't thrive in high humidity climates as i discovered a couple years ago. I'm in the eqivalent of usda 9/10.

I don't discourage easily - I'm especially guilty of trying plants that aren't suitable for my "zone" But I have given up on Buddleia. I always thought it was the heat. Lovely plant, so I'm going to try it in a pot, near the butterfly garden, but in the shade.

Lantana was more popular with butterflies than butterfly bush in my country garden where I raised both. I'd plant a lot of lantana.

Sherry

I have the plain blue buddleia growing up a storm. It seems very resistant to nematodes. I have gone through several hybrids that seem to die off even in pots after a year or so.

the lantana often seen in nurseries is invasive I believe in S Forida. There is a native variety, not as showy, but it won't invade natural areas, crowding out native species.

Sharon, I have not seen any white flies or pests on the plants.

Carol, yes, Buddleia Hot Raspberry is Buddleja davidii from the Buzz series. But my other Buddleia that is growing well after many years of suffering is also Buddleja davidii Dark Knight.

So Wintercat, it could be high humidity since this started happening in mid-July when our humid climate kicks up the humidity.

Sultry, where do I find "plain blue buddleia"?

Sherry, Sonni, I agree that butterflies love lantana and I think the flowers are lovely but it grows so fast and gets so big and woody here, it's a pain in the back side. I made the mistake of planting it at our previous home and it turned into a jungle with a root system that needed a bulldozer to remove.

Sherry, I've got salvia, pentas, Gaillardia but I've not tried Turk's cap or porterweed. I am assuming Turk's cap will do well here since it's related to hibiscus. I've seen porterweed growing here but I never liked the look of it. I may have to change my mind. :) I am wondering about zinnias?? I'm thinking they don't do well here, at least I don't ever see them growing here, and that's strange since they are so easy to grow from seed.

Does anyone grow Zinnias in Florida zone 9-10?

Anna

Buddleia abound around Gainesville. They are everywhere, some 9-10 feet tall, but ONLY the old-timey lavender ones. None of the hybrids can make it here. I've tried even growing the Black Knight in a pot, but it died during the summer because it stayed too wet.

Lycianthes rantonnetii. I've never seen that! How beautiful. I also had no idea Hibiscus syriacus would grow in sand and without long cold winters. It grew in clay in NYC. It self seeded everywhere.

My garden is planted in clay and winter here is short but quite cold. There's a great variety of soil and climate here in Israel. It's not all sizzling desert :)

How does one even find the old-time buddleia to buy? Does anyone know their complete or distinguishing botanical name?

Anna, I grow zinnias here in Tampa during the summer. Those in the photo are Zaharra that I planted early this year and which reseeded themselves. They do attract butterflies. (The plant at the lower right is a curry tree that is starting to escape its container. When the main plant was in bloom earlier this year, it was a huge

The "old-time" buddleja is just Buddleja davidii. But it is difficult to find the straight species available for sale. Most outlets will instead offer cultivars of the species that offer some special feature....usually color :-) But in areas where buddleja self-seeds, seedlings will tend to be of the species rather than carrying many of the characteristics of the cultivar that produced the seed. They are all over the place in my area, springing up along side road verges, in abandoned parking lots, railroad right of ways.......

I can see no reason why zinnias wouldn't grow in Florida, certainly it's worth a try! Here's Zowie Yellow Flame zinnia, my favorite. The female monarch nectared on them all day, unfortunately didn't leave any eggs on my MW, at least that I found.

Sherry

Shuffles, do you grow the zinnias in a pot? Will they grow in sandy soil? Do nematodes go after them in the ground?

Anna

Anna, lately I have been growing them in large pots. Years ago, I used to plant half my veggie garden in zinnias for the summer. I planted cactus flowered zinnias and they did very well. That was before nearby construction caused drainage problems. Thus the pots. My garden is sandy but rich with organic matter. My garden has been mostly nematode free for a long, long time.

Sherry, did you start the Zowie Yellow Flame Zinnia from seed?

Yes, I did. I'm trying to save some of the blooms for seed for next year, since they were fairly expensive. I don't think the ones I'm saving are quite ripe yet. If I get some I think are viable, do you want some? I'll be glad to send them to you. The seeds that started these came right up and grew easily.

Sherry

I haven't been successful with zinnias here in Central Florida. Perhaps there are others who are more successful.

Ana, the absolute best butterfly and hummingbird plants that I have are the larger porterweeds, red, purple and lavender. They are ever blooming, but do go in cycles. Right now they are in full bloom and the butterflies are loving them. Buddleias in Florida are just a pain to grow. If I were in other states I would certainly have them. Have you tried Almost Eden's lavender porterweed? It's the best in my opinion, with the large red a close second.

Sherry, I would love some seeds if you have extra.

Tom, does porterweed grow as a perennial or annual for you?

I'm probably going to need a replacement for the Buddleja Hot Raspberry. I cannot tell you how much the butterflies loved it when those plants were blooming!! There were 2 Monarchs that fought constantly over the bushes.

I'm thinking of creating 2 new planting beds and looking for ideas of new and or better plants for butterflies. The beds are in the front of the house on either side of the walk leading to the front door, so they've got to be functional for butterflies and look nice for the HOA.

Anna

The best nectar plant that i have for butterflies is the Mexican Sunflower or tithonia. They only live for about two or three months however, and need to be replanted. The two best perennials are the large lavender and red porterweeds and the heirloom or very large pentas. The best are probably the red pentas, but the other colors are excellent also.

The pentas will live three or four years for me, more or less and the large porterweeds the same or longer. A hard freeze will kill off the top part of both of these plants, but most of them will come back from the roots.

For looks I would say the pentas are very pleasing to the eye and they don't need dead heading, although they like it.

A very pretty shrub or small tree that has fragrant yellow flowers that the hummingbirds and butterflies like is the Yellow Bells or Tecoma Stans. There aren't that many plants with attractive yellow flowers, so this shrub really stands out.

Does pride of Barbados do well in your part of Florida? IME it's a low-maintenance butterfly magnet: no pests and no drought-related headaches but oodles of swallowtails and skippers.

Yes, It does well here. I had two, but for some reason the guy who was working on my pool pump cut down one. The other one is doing well, but I have to cut out the vines that are trying to cover it. The butterflies sure like the flowers and the hummers like them even more. As you know, they are very susceptible to the cold. A hard freeze kills off most of the above ground growth, but the roots do come back.

Can you grow Duranta erecta? It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, I've read, and has a vague resemblance to Buddleja.

I got a Duranta erecta the other day, a big one, from Lowe's on the sale shelf. I potted it up to an even bigger pot - I'll see how butterflies like it.

Sherry

The duranta will attract butterflies, but it can become a very large shrub. I had one planted on a bit of a slope and when we had heavy rain, it would fall over. It's a beautiful plant, does well in S Florida, but needs to be trimmed regularly to keep it small.

Tom, are you growing Tithonia rotundifolia (orange flowers annual) or Tithonia diversifolia (big bush yellow flowers)?

Is there a compact or dwarf version of Tecoma stans?

How do I discern heirloom or very large Pentas?

Irving, concerning Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), if I want to keep it smaller, will it still flower if you cut it back every year?

I have seen Duranta erecta growing in my neighborhood. I didn't know butterflies liked it.

Thank you all for the great suggestions!! I really like the the color combination of red/orange/yellow/purple, so it's especially wonderful when I can plant those colors and attract butterflies! :)

Anna

Anna, I usually cut my POBs back during the dormant period and they're always in full bloom by the time hot weather arrives, though I can't promise you that cutting it back in winter will keep it smaller.

for some reason the guy who was working on my pool pump cut down one

Time to find a new pool pump mechanic.

Anna, Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) are indeed popular with butterflies, but they've always gotten real tall for me. The stems are hollow, and when you have a big rain, they fall over on the ground, make a big mess. I wish they'd come up with a shorter version of this wonderful nectar plant! Of course, they're annuals, so you have to replant them every year.

Sherry

Ana, I have the red Tithonias. I don't know if there is a dwarf Tecoma Stans or Yellow Bells. Mine doesn't grow that tall--perhaps ten feet? It might be too large for your garden. The "heirloom" pentas are really just very big, tall pentas. They are "old time" pentas; the ones before the nurseries started putting out all the small ones. I can find some of the large red pentas in some stores around here, but not the large stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. Almost Eden sells several different colors. (Just saw two hummers chasing each other. Very cool.)

Sherry, I have to stake the Tithonias--and I have to put them in wire cages so the rabbits don't eat them. They still seem able to get at them somewhat. Very frustrating.

I've got some wire cages, Tom. That would be a good way to keep them upright.

Sherry

I have zinnias growing against my house facing east and they seem to be doing fine right now. Actually one seemed to die but the others are really doing well.

I have six duranta erecta Geisha Girl. Butterflies, bees and birds love it. This variety is supposed to be smaller than other duranta erecta. Very vigorous and disease/pest free. Doesn't look its best in winter here, but worth the wait for summer.

It doesn't resemble buddleia at all.

Mine looks just like that!

Sherry

Beautiful photo Wintercat! One of my neighbors down the street has one of these in her front yard. I always thought it was beautiful and it smelled heavenly. I just didn't know butterflies liked it. And Sherry, I've seen them here at Lowe's, so I'll be looking. It could be the pop of purple with the red/orange/yellow. :)

Anna

I said the resemblance was vague. It's a lot more like Buddleja than some of the other suggestions like Pride of Barbados or Zinnias. It's a shrub for starters, with racemes of blue/purple range flowers and ovate folIage. It attracts butterflies and it suits the OPs climate. I suggested it only as a viable substitute that would fill a similar niche.

I have a no-name duranta and it thrives with no care. It's tall - almost a small tree. I think the blooms smell like heliotrope. Butterflies do like the flowers. I've grown heliotrope too, BTW, and it smells heavenly.

My sister in CA has a white heliotrope shrub that is delightful. Not sure if the white kind grows here. Mine died out in hot weather.

I've grown zinnias plenty of times and they seem to prefer the cooler months. I've also grown red tithonia and lots of people around here have the giant yellow kind in their yards. It's supposed to be easy to start it from a chunk of a branch, like plumeria.

I have pink pentas in our butterfly garden at the rec center where I work that reseeds in various shades. It also thrives with little care. It spread from purchased plants that I scattered the seeds from. Plants get approx. 18" high. There is also blue porterweed, garlic chives and scorpion tail for nectar, along with a cassia/senna, passionvine and milkweed for larvae. All seem to do well with little maintenance.

Duranta is definitely a viable substitute. The trouble with buddleia for me wasn't only its non viability. Just like with roses - breathtaking flowers tacked on to an ugly bush. Generates mixed feelings all the time and wears you out.