Miss Ruby Butterfly Bush (Buddleja 'Miss Ruby')
Buddleja 'Miss Ruby'

Deciduous Perennial Shrub in the Scrophulariaceae Family
 
Buy Miss Ruby Butterfly Bush
Size Notes Price Availability
#2 gallon Field $33.16

About Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bush is like a drive-thru for pollinators—fast, flashy, and always buzzing. With fragrant blooms in bold colors, it’s a nonstop buffet for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. It thrives in Chicagoland summers, needs little pampering, and adds instant drama to your garden. Grow one, and nature will RSVP daily. The butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a beautiful, fast-growing, deciduous shrub with masses of blossoms—long, spiked trusses—that bloom from summer to autumn. Its flowers come in many colors, though butterflies seem to prefer the lavender-pink (mauve) of the species to the white and dark purple cultivars. It typically grows to 6-12’ (less frequently to 15’) tall with a spread to 4-15’ wide when not killed back by cold winter temperatures. It is noted for its bushy habit, arching stems, showy/fragrant flowers and vigorous growth. Butterfly bush is a rapidly growing, deciduous, drought-tolerant shrub native to Asia. Plant it in the full sun in well drained soil. Flowers on new growth which appear from summer through the first frost. The best flowers appear when the plant is severely pruned in late winter. It is an excellent choice for the summer flowering shrub border to mass plant.

Pros

  • Attracts pollinators (as you might expect)
  • Vibrant colors in a long bloom season, from summer into fall, after many other plants have faded
  • Grow fast & don't need care once established to stay alive

Cons

  • Not officially invasive in Illinois, but it can self-seed and spread beyond intended areas
  • Can die back to the ground in a cold winter
  • Can become leggy without regular pruning
  • Needs full sun to thrive
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 4 - 5 feet tall. 4 - 5 feet wide.
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 5a - 9b (Usually hardy to -20° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Edging, Extended Bloom Time, Fragrant, Fragrant Flowers, Full Sun, Full Sun, Good for Beginners, Good for Borders, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Hedges, Good for Mass Planting, Low Maintenance, Medium, Medium, Most Popular, Non-Allergenic, Normal Soil, Perennial, Prairie Garden, Rabbit Resistant, Reblooms, Showy Flowers, Shrub, Thrillers, Tolerant of Hot Dry Site, Tolerant of Loamy Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil
Bloom Period July-October
Flower Color Reddish-Pink
Foliage Color
 

More Info from Experts
Flowers of Miss Ruby Butterfly Bush
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Pricing and Availability History

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!