Summer Lilac Buddleja 'Miss Ruby'

Miss Ruby butterfly bush is part of the 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 B. 'White Ball' and B. davidii 'Attraction.' It is a member of the snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae).

Miss Ruby butterfly bush has an upright, globular shape with numerous lateral branches and will grow up to 4 feet tall and wide..  Miss Ruby performs best with full sun and most well-drained soil and is drought tolerant once established. 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.  

'Miss Ruby' is considered a low-fertility plant producing nectar but little pollen. It attracts butterflies in abundance with its reddish-purple flowers in summer.  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.

Use this shrub in a border, as a hedge, as a specimen or a foundation plant. Works for a pollinator, drought-tolerant or cottage garden.

Insect, Disease and Other Plant Problems: Spider mites can become a problem during drought. Nematodes can be a problem.