Miss Molly Butterfly Bush

Buddleja 'Miss Molly'

flower

Miss Molly is one of the best of the new sterile butterfly bushes, prized for its unusually deep, rich magenta-red flowers, about the closest a butterfly bush comes to true red. It forms a compact, rounded shrub four to five feet tall and wide, and from midsummer until frost it sends out a constant succession of tapering flower spikes that are alive with butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds drawn to the nectar and light fragrance. Just as important, Miss Molly is functionally sterile, setting less than two percent viable seed, which makes it a responsible choice in regions where the old seedy butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) has become an invasive weed. It blooms the first year, asks almost nothing, and earns its keep as a pollinator magnet.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Purple Coneflower — A fellow sun-loving pollinator plant that blooms alongside it all summer to build a butterfly border
• Black-Eyed Susan — Golden daisies that contrast the magenta spikes and share the full sun and good drainage
• Russian Sage — Airy blue spires that complement the flower color and draw bees in the same dry, sunny bed

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Spider mites →

  Fine stippling and webbing in hot dry spells - rinse the foliage and keep plants from drought stress

• Aphids →

  Cluster on tender new growth and buds - rinse off with water and encourage ladybugs

• Japanese beetles →

  Chew leaves and flowers in summer - hand-pick into soapy water in the cool morning and skip lure traps that draw in more

• Root rot →

  The main killer of butterfly bush - it rots in wet soil, so plant in well-drained ground and never let it sit in standing water

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Butterfly bush makes a fine, lightly fragrant cut flower - snip the spikes in the cool morning as they open for an informal arrangement. The main job in the garden is deadheading: clipping off the faded spikes through the summer keeps the plant pushing new flowers and reduces what little seed a sterile variety sets. Save the hard pruning for late winter or early spring, since it flowers on the current season growth and a hard late-winter cut gives the bushiest, most floriferous plant.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

One of the premier nectar plants for the late-summer garden - the long bloom is a magnet for butterflies (which give it its name), bees, and hummingbirds when many other flowers have faded. Note that while it feeds adult butterflies, it is not a host plant for their caterpillars, so pair it with native host plants. Non-toxic and safe around pets and children.