Butterfly Bush is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in spring and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its spring flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Butterfly Bush — the short answer
Butterfly Bush: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Hardy to zone 5a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Butterfly Bush on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether butterfly bush actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score butterfly bush against your land's real conditions.
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See Butterfly Bush
What Butterfly Bush is
Butterfly Bush grows as a perennial and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It blooms in spring. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Mature height, bloom period and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Butterfly Bush does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
5-9
Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
8 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant butterfly bush in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Butterfly Bush prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut butterfly bush blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Butterfly Bush thrives
Butterfly Bush is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Butterfly Bush growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Butterfly Bush stands, state by state
Butterfly Bush is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Butterfly Bush’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Butterfly Bush
Growing guides for butterfly bush
Good to know
Butterfly Bush is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Your land is one point inside Butterfly Bush's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Butterfly Bush will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether butterfly bush actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Butterfly Bush
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Butterfly Bush in my zone?
Butterfly Bush grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Butterfly Bush?
Most growers plant butterfly bush after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Butterfly Bush need?
Butterfly Bush needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Butterfly Bush need?
Butterfly Bush prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Butterfly Bush attract pollinators?
Yes — butterfly bush's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush state by state
Every state butterfly bush's zone reaches — 1 link straight to that state's butterfly bush growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.