Hi I'm new and the butterfly fly bush is my favorite. I am trying to learn as much as possible about them.
I have two in my front yard and while they don't look like they are dying, the bottoms don't look very "full". They are 3 years old and are currently about 10 feet tall. It's July and I live in Tennessee. We've had barely any rain, but I water enough, and I don't think I overdo it.
The rest of the bush looks great with lots of new blooms and shoots. Is it normal for the bottom of the bush to start to not become as full as the summer goes on?
Any info or help would be super! Thanks!
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I don't think of Butterfly Bushes as ever having a really full form. They are sorta gangly looking open shrubs.

The 3 I tried all died. My neighbors looks ragged all the time but keeps blooming prettily every year.

I had never had good luck with them, then I found this one
My weeping butterfly stays full and blooms all summer and into the fall if we aren't going through weeks of 3 digit temps

Never heard of a weeping butterfly bush before.

Welcome to All Things Plants, @Supershervelle !

Just to be clear, are you talking about Buddleia (or Buddleja) ?

Like Rita, mine have always pretty much been "gangly looking open shrubs."

@newyorkrita and @weedwhacker, I have a pic of mine in garden photos and here is another link, although not a good pic

http://davesgarden.com/guides/...

Thank you for all of the messages.
To weedwhacker: they are definately butterfly bushes. Thanks for double checking with me. In fact I have 18 of them. White , blue , cran-raz, red, indigo, purple, royal. And two yellow ones being shipped. I am fascinated by them, love the smell, the attraction of butterfly's ,and they do well for me.
The ones I inquired about are in their 3rd season and last year they got to almost 12 feet tall. I just didn't remember the bottom being so "bare." But I gotta say, the tops are healthy and keep getting new shoots on them. I'm just trying to learn as much as possible about them. I get a little over- nervous when things don't look right!
Hope Yall have a super day!!

I would try cutting them back severely - maybe down to 3ft. or so - this fall after they lose their leaves. Then next spring they should put on shorter, bushy growth rather than just getting taller and ganglier each year.

dyzzypyxxy said:I would try cutting them back severely - maybe down to 3ft. or so - this fall after they lose their leaves. Then next spring they should put on shorter, bushy growth rather than just getting taller and ganglier each year.

Yup, cut them back in the Fall. Unless you have cold winters. Then cut then early spring, just before leaves would come.

All of the above! I have a butterfly bush that is almost 12 years old. Last year it was looking pretty gangly and bare in spots and didn't bloom well at all. I figured it had lived it's life and was saying goodbye. That being said, I cut it back to ALMOST a stump and hoped for the best....here is a picture of what it looks like now! (Can you spot the Monarch?) LOL

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to ATP Shell!

We have wonderful photos of Butterfly Bush (Buddleja lindleyana) right here on ATP, no need to link away to another database.

Thank you for the warm welcome!