When I can find them here, I will buy some buddleia and put them in the perennial beds. Sometimes they show up in the 'annual' section, sometimes perennial (Ha!) knowing I may get one season, maybe a few but the right winter will come along and take them out. They grow so fast and bloom that first summer it's worth it when I can get time in a small pot for $5. This year all the Nanho blue I planted last year are returning, but so are the Dusty Miller and possibly the Vitex. Can't quite tell on the last one yet. It was a mild winter by MN standards and we had decent snow cover when it did actually get cold.

Yes, buddleia certainly do grow fast and some varieties can put on a decent show even in their first year when starting from a plug, though they really do come into their own in subsequent years if they manage to survive. Situating them next to the foundation ensures they not only reliability pull through winter, but also they reach their maximum growth potential or nearly so. When in bloom, they certainly are dramatic plants, espeically those that carry very large flowers.

I am in awe FrozeBudd! You are clearly the northern BB whisperer.

(If you remember can you update this thread every month...I would love to see the progress of a BB in your northern clime)