General characteristics of a Butterfly bush
The butterfly bush is a beautiful flowering shrub with large purple flower clusters that attracts many butterflies and other insects as a nectar plant. It is a non-native species.
Characteristics
How to plant a Butterfly bush
Roots at least 10 cm below ground.
Cut cuttings from the mother plant, leaving 2 leaf buds above ground and putting 2 buds in the ground; best time to take cuttings is fall-early spring.
How to harvest a Butterfly bush
Harvesting seedlings and cuttings
Caring for and pruning your Butterfly bush
There are three times during the year when it is advisable to prune butterfly bushes. The most important pruning takes place in late winter or early spring. Wait with this until it is no longer freezing, because especially the young shoots of the plant are very fragile and may face frost damage. Depending on weather conditions, this pruning takes place between March and May. Prune back branches to a height of several tens of centimeters. After this pruning, the butterfly bush has a growth spurt and produces many new shoots in a short time.
The butterfly bush or Buddleja blooms on new wood, that is, on the branches that will appear on the bush next season. Therefore, the more young shoots there are, the more flowers will appear.
If you want an extra compact butterfly bush in the garden, prune off the tops of the branches in June. Preferably do this with garden shears or pruning shears and cut the tops off the branches one by one. The consequence of this pruning is that from the following month, the butterfly bush also flowers on the tips of all its branches. This makes the flowering hedge appear fuller and more exuberant.
Headings can be done later in the flowering season of the plants. Ideally, you should start this in August. This is because not all flower clusters of the butterfly bush flower at the same time. If you prune away the spent flower bunches, light will fall on other flower buds, after which they will open again.
Where does a Butterfly bush grow
Butterfly bush is a species of dry to moist, moderately nutrient-rich, stony environments. Cannot tolerate very wet conditions. In highly urbanized environments it is by far the most common shrub. The species grows on derelict buildings and wasteland. Because the species spreads with the wind, it can settle very easily in all kinds of crevices and cracks of walls.
General
| Origin |
Alien
Invasive
|
| Tree Type | Shrub |
Length and Age
| Length in about 10 years | 1 Up to 2 Meter |
| Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years | 3 Up to 20 year |
| Maximum Age | 20 Up to 30 year |
| Required Space | 1 Up to 2m2 |
| Growth Rate |
Reproduction
| Tree is Self-Pollinating | No |
| Reproduction Method |
To cut (cutting is between 5 and 50 cm)
Makes seedlings
|
| Reproduction rate |
|
Reproduction rate
| 1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds). |
| 2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required |
| 3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion). |
| 4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces |
| 5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed). |
Pruning Period
| This Tree is Evergreen | No |
| Summer | June tot October |
| Winter | March tot May |
| Leaf Shapes | Lanceolate |
| Easy to prune | Yes |
Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Lenticels | Yes |
| Colour |
Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Colour | |
| Bud Position |
Varied
|
| Bud Shape |
Egg-shaped
|
Other
| Root |
Deep and wide roots
|
| Bloom |
Has flowers
|
| Wind sensitivity | Moderately sensitive to (sea) wind |
Diseases
| Sensitive to the Following Diseases |
Not particularly susceptible to any specific disease
|
Light requirement of the Butterfly bush
Suitable soil types for the Butterfly bush
| Soil type | Suitability |
|---|---|
| light clay |
|
| heavy clay |
|
| sand |
|
| peatland |
|
| Loam |
|
| Moerig op zand |
|
| Lichte zavel |
|
| Zware zavel |
|
Humidity
Suitable acidity level for the Butterfly bush
Nutritional needs of the Butterfly bush
| 1. | Very nutrient-poor soil |
| 2. | Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil |
| 3. | Nutrient-poor soil |
| 4. | Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 5. | Moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 6. | Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil |
| 7. | Nutrient-rich soil |
| 8. | Extremely nutrient-rich soil |
| 9. | Very extremely nutrient-rich soil |
Humidity
| 1. | Extremely dry soils |
| 2. | Extremely dry to dry soils |
| 3. | Dry soils |
| 4. | Dry to dry/moist soils |
| 5. | Dry/moist soils |
| 6. | Dry/moist to moist soils |
| 7. | Moist soils |
| 8. | Moist to wet soils |
| 9. | Wet soils |
To be applied in landscapes
| Landscape | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Agroforestry |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Forest |
|
| Feeding hedge |
|
| Back yard |
|
| Small back yard |
|
| Solitary |
|
| Wood wall |
|
Cultural-historical value
Insects
| How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? | |
| Which insect groups live on this tree/plant? |
Bees
Butterflies
|
| Are there insects dependent on this species? | No |
| Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Birds
| Average number of birds per tree/plant? | |
| Which bird groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
Mammals
| Average number of mammals per tree/plant? | |
| Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
| Are there mammals dependent on this species? | No |
| Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Bloom Period
| Summer | June Up to September |
Tree Species
| Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with |
|
Suitable for mammals?
| Mammal | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Foxes |
|
| Pig |
|
| Sheep |
|
| Horse |
|
| Human |
|
| Cow |
|
| Chicken |
|
| Cat |
|
| Dog |
|
| Herbivorous rodents |
|
| Goat |
|
| Badgers |
|
| Beavers |
|
| Wild boar |
|
| Mouse |
|
| Roe deer |
|
| Deer |
|
| Squirrel |
|
| Ferret |
|
Explanation
Explanation
Edibility
- Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
- Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
- Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
- Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
- Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
- Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.
Trunk Height
Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree
Information not available
Trunk Diameter
(dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.
Information not available
Aboveground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Belowground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Substance Binder
| Which substances can be bound or absorbed? |
CO2
Particulate matter
|
Carbon Attraction (kf)
| (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree | Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48) |
Warming Resistance
| This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). | Yes |
CO2
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no storage |
| 2. | low storage |
| 3. | moderate storage |
| 4. | high storage |
| 5. | very high storage |
Fine Dust
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no capture capacity |
| 2. | low capture capacity |
| 3. | moderate capture capacity |
| 4. | high capture capacity |
| 5. | very high capture capacity |
This is what an adult tree Butterfly bush looks like
This is what a Butterfly bush in bloom looks like
