Re: Invasives?

There are also some "dwarf" varieties that aren't out to take over the world. They're not nearly as leggy as the standard varieties and are prettier in my opinion. Varieties such as White Ball, Purple Plum, and Nanho Purple all remain under 5' X 5'. The only pruning my Nanho Purple gets is an occasional haircut between blooming periods as a lazy method of keeping it deadheaded. I never have to cut it to the ground in the spring the way the way I do the standards varieties. On the other hand, I have a Honeycomb that often attains 8' X 8' by fall even after being cut to the ground each spring. It, however, seems to be the favorite of the butterflies.

John

Buddleia spread themselves by seed.

Buddleia davidii has an entry in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden publication _Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden_.

"Butterfly bush does not yet present a serious problem but is spreading rapidly" according to the book.

It "has escaped from cultivation along the eastern seaboard from Pennsylvania to North Caronlina, and along the West Coast in California, Oregon and Washington."

"It generally colonizes disturbed areas such as roadsides and riparian zones." (That last bit may be what could eventually be very troublesome.)

"Other members of this genus (for example, B. madagascarensis, B. lindleyana, and B. asiatica) have also shown strong invasive ability while others (such as B. globosa) have not."

One presumes it does, if it is able to set and ripen seed. My clump never has. Usually we have a killing frost before it is able to.