The woolly butterfly bush (Buddleia marrubiifolia) is a near-native from the neighboring Chihuahuan desert. It’s a great pollinator plant, has attractive grey-green leaves and bright orange clusters of flowers. It’s very low-maintenance, and a pretty addition to your garden.
It’s a good option for higher-altitude gardens, since it’s hardy to around 10 F. If it’s exposed to more severe cold, it may die down to the ground but will regrow. It likes well-drained, sunny locations, and will flower the most in sunny spots. However, butterflies will prefer some afternoon shade. Don’t overwater this plant, and don’t mulch it. It also doesn’t need any fertilizer.
The plant is tolerant of our alkaline soils and is drought-tolerant, although it will grow faster and larger with some extra water. It is considered non-allergenic, and it does not have thorns, so it’s a great plant to have near outdoor seating spaces and swimming pools. Woolly butterfly bush is evergreen and can bloom anytime between February and November, so it’s also a nice ornamental.
The leaves are silvery green, small and have toothed edges. The flowers grow in round balls made up of tiny bright orange individual flowers. The shrub has a rounded shape and is about even in height and spread. It grows at a medium rate, and will grow up to about a 5- by 5-foot size.
You can prune the bush in late fall slightly to increase flowers but it’s not necessary. Since the plant is evergreen, there is little litter. This plus its drought tolerance make the woolly butterfly bush a low-fuss plant with lots of benefits.
Make more plants from the ones you already have. This video shows you how to propagate your plant using cuttings. Video by Dominika Heusinkveld/Arizona Daily Star
