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Miss Ruby Butterfly Bush Buddleja 'Miss Ruby'

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Buddleja davidii 'Miss Ruby'
Phonetic Spelling
BUD-lee-uh
Description

'Miss Ruby' is part of the butterfly bush series developed at the JC Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina through the plant breeding efforts of Dr. Dennis Werner of NC State University. It was a hybrid cross of Buddleja 'White Ball' and Buddleja davidii 'Attraction'.

'Miss Ruby' Butterfly Bush has an upright, global shape with numerous lateral branches.  Its dense growth and compact habit make it useful both as a specimen plant and for use in mixed plantings. Like other  Buddleja, 'Miss Ruby' performs best with full sun and well-drained soil. It is reliably cold hardy but will benefit from winter mulching. It may die back to the ground in colder zones but will resume growth from the crown the following spring. In regions where above-ground shoots survive over winter,  plants may require occasional moderate pruning to maintain the desired compact growth. 'Miss Ruby' blooms on new wood.  

It is tolerant of all soil types. In clay soil,  plant 'Miss Ruby' slightly above, rather than even with, the soil level and amend with compost for best results. Water needs are average, once established it is drought tolerant. 

'Miss Ruby' attracts butterflies in abundance.  In 2008 the United Kingdom's Royal Horticultural Society plant popularity poll ranked 'Miss Ruby' as its number one (out of 97 varieties) butterfly bush cultivar!

Like each of the 'Miss' series, 'Miss Ruby' is non-invasive, as it produces few seeds and rarely suckers in the ground. 

 

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#fragrant#hummingbird friendly#full sun tolerant#drought tolerant#specimen#red flowers#deciduous shrub#salt tolerant#pink leaves#cottage garden#rabbit resistant#upright form#air pollution tolerant#well-drained soil#multistemmed#deer resistant#magenta flowers#frost tolerant#long bloom time#hybrids#rounded#border planting#cutting garden#pollinator plant#urban conditions tolerant#compact habit#clay soils tolerant#butterfly friendly#hot pink flowers#dense growth#patio#moth friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#fragrant#hummingbird friendly#full sun tolerant#drought tolerant#specimen#red flowers#deciduous shrub#salt tolerant#pink leaves#cottage garden#rabbit resistant#upright form#air pollution tolerant#well-drained soil#multistemmed#deer resistant#magenta flowers#frost tolerant#long bloom time#hybrids#rounded#border planting#cutting garden#pollinator plant#urban conditions tolerant#compact habit#clay soils tolerant#butterfly friendly#hot pink flowers#dense growth#patio#moth friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Buddleja
    Species:
    ‘Miss Ruby’ PP 19,950
    Family:
    Scrophulariaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Stem Cutting
    Wildlife Value:
    Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Attracts Pollinators
    Colorful
    Easy to Grow
    Fragrance
    Dimensions:
    Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Dense
    Erect
    Multi-stemmed
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Low
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Pink
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Spike
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Good Cut
    Long Bloom Season
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Tubular
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Inflorescences average 4" long and produce up to 160 flowers per inflorescence. Flower buds are red–purple with an orange corolla.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Soft
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    The leaf is green above and grey-green below.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Plants are very dense with abundant lateral branching.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Meadow
    Naturalized Area
    Patio
    Walkways
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Cottage Garden
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Border
    Foundation Planting
    Mass Planting
    Small groups
    Specimen
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Hummingbirds
    Pollinators
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Drought
    Pollution
    Rabbits
    Salt
    Urban Conditions