Landscaping Ideas With Dwarf Butterfly Bushes

Create a Focal Point

• Dwarf butterfly bushes are ideal for creating a focal point in the garden. Create a circular garden and place the butterfly bush in the center. Surround it with smaller plants that butterflies and hummingbirds love, such as coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, zinnias and petunias. Remember to deadhead, or cut off the faded flowers, to keep your butterfly bush blooming right up to the first fall frost.

Formal Borders

• Formal borders are generally made out of boxwood bushes, but dwarf butterfly bushes can be used instead. While it is true they are not as compact as boxwoods, it is possible to trim butterfly bushes to give them a tighter shape. Using dwarf butterfly bushes is also an effective way to provide a more relaxed feel to an otherwise formal area.

Create Curb Appeal

• Dwarf butterfly bushes are ideal for planting in front of picket or chain link fences. The varieties that reach a mature height of 4 feet are just tall enough to hide the fence from the view of people going by the front of your property. The bushes should not be too close to the street so butterflies and hummingbirds do not accidentally get hit by vehicles passing by.

As Edging Plants

• Another way to landscape with dwarf butterfly bushes is to use them as edging plants at the back of the flower border. Leave enough room to walk behind the bushes so you can deadhead them as necessary. Walking in the flower bed is not a good idea since this would compact the soil around the plants roots. Dwarf butterfly bushes used in place of more traditional shrubs such as privet hedge is a wonderful way to create a colorful backdrop to the rest of the garden.