Buddleia Potters Purple

Potters Purple Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii ‘Potter’s Purple’ — commonly known as Potter’s Purple Butterfly Bush — is a vigorous deciduous shrub valued for its rich, true purple flower panicles and strong fragrance. Blooming from mid-summer through fall, it provides classic butterfly-bush color and outstanding pollinator appeal in larger garden spaces.

Key features
Width / spread: 6–8 ft (arching branches can make mature plants read slightly wider)
Height: 8–10 ft (can be maintained at 6–8 ft with annual pruning)
Flower color: Rich medium to deep purple with orange eye
Bloom time: Mid-summer through fall
Foliage: Gray-green, lance-shaped leaves
Form: Upright, arching shrub
Life cycle: Deciduous shrub

Growing conditions
Sun: Full sun (required for best flowering and color)
Soil: Well-drained; average to lean soils preferred
Water: Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established
Hardiness:



Zone Low: 5b



Zone High: 9a



Landscape use
Specimen shrub
Back of shrub borders and perennial gardens
Butterfly and pollinator gardens
Informal hedges and screens
Large landscape plantings

Notes


Produces long, showy purple panicles with noticeable fragrance



Blooms on new wood — prune hard in early spring to control size and maximize flowering



Highly attractive to butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds



Fertile cultivar — may self-seed; restricted or discouraged in some regions

Plant type

Flowering Shrub

Height

5-6'

Width

4-5'

Hardiness zones

5–8

Sunlight

Full Sun

Growth rate

Fast

Bloom time

Early Fall, Early Summer, Fall, Late Spring, Late Summer, Summer

Leaf color

Dark Green

Fall color

Dark Green

Attracts

Butterflies

Soil

Loamy

Landscape use

Foundation

Shape

Mounded

Bark

Exfoliating

Fruit

Yes

Fragrant

Yes

Deer resistant

Yes

Salt tolerant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No