This compact butterfly bush makes it a good choice for small spaces and for symmetrical plantings in garden beds and walkways. Gold drop features chartreuse golden foliage with purple panicles. It is a plant of contrast and makes a bold statement in any garden. We’ve grown members of the humdinger collection for a few years now and it is a favorite due to its consistent full yet compact nature, profuse flowering and resistance to cold weather.

The Humdinger® collection consists of compact bushes that pack the maximum punch. They bloom weeks earlier than most other buddleia and maximize blooms over a small area. This small to medium sized upright selection of butterfly bush is sure to capture the hearts of pollinators and plant enthusiasts everywhere. The butterfly bush is a staple of many gardens due to its fast growth rate, hardiness, and prolific blooms. Arriving in late summer, the bottle shaped blooms of this buddleia are 6-8 inches in length. Butterfly bushes are named such because they are a bounty for pollinators attracting hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators to their sweet-scented blooms.

Photos courtesy of Walter Gardens

General care for any tree or shrub is easy, but like any living thing will require your attention. Please educate yourself and follow these simple rules.

Buddleia 'Gold Drop' Humdinger® Collection

Buddleias - Butterfly Bush - are most successful when planted in rich, well drained soil high in organic matter. They benefit from alkaline conditions so periodic treatment of lime can be beneficial to growth and flower production. Once established buddleias are moderately drought resistant, but should be monitored for stress during extended periods of dry weather. Pruning is suggested especially in northern locations in order to stimulate growth, cutting them back to about 12 inches promotes new growth and more flowers. Pruning also promotes denser more compact plants, and will restore plants that have become stringy, thin or open. Similar to crape myrtles buddleias break dormancy late in the spring, so don't worry if they are still sticks when the rest of your plants are leafed out. Just be patient and they will explode with growth by mid to late spring.