Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’ after I brought it home on 7-1-17, #353-10.
‘Pugster® Blue’ Butterfly Bush
Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’
Buddleja x ‘SMNBDBT’ USPPAF, Can PBRAF
I brought my Buddleja ‘Pugster® Blue’ home from Muddy Creek Greenhouse on July 1, 2017. I wanted a Buddleja that didn’t get so tall, and this cultivar only grows 2’ tall x 2-3’ wide.
Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’ is from Proven Winners and is part of their Pugster® Series. I was fortunate that Muddy Creek had one pot left and I was glad it was blue instead of pink. I went to their website and they didn’t say a whole lot about it, nor did any other website. One thing I did notice is that Proven Winners uses the alternate spelling, Buddleia, instead of the approved scientific name Buddleja.
Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’ on 7-30-17, #362-16.
The Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’ promises full-sized blue flowers on a smaller, stockier plant. Their website also states that the flowers do not need to be deadheaded.
The genus Buddleja was named and described by Carl von Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753. Dr. William Houston suggested Linneaus name the genus in honor of Reverend Adam Buddle, an English botanist and rector who died in 1715. Dr. Houston sent the first Buddleja plants to England from the Caribbean which came to be known as Buddleja americana.
The Buddleja genus was in the Buddlejaceae family, but that family is no longer recognized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. The old family is still being used by many botanists as one of several families that divide the Lamiales order of plants.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Type: Deciduous shrub
Origin: Hybrid
Zones: USDA Zones 5a-9b (-20-25° F)
Size: 24” tall x 24+” wide
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Average well-drained soil
Water: Average
Uses: Great shrub for attracting butterflies & hummingbirds
Buddleja x ‘Pugster® Blue’ flower on8-29-17, #369-30.
When cooler weather came in October, my Buddleja ‘Pugster Blue’ was STILL in its pot. Normally when I buy plants I know where I am going to put them before I bring them home. That wasn’t the case with this plant. All I knew was that I wanted a smaller Buddleja and this one was perfect. I had some ideas of where it could go but at the time the space was already occupied. After we had our first good zap, I planted it in the west side of the north bed (north side of the house). Later I ran across information that suggested that may not have been a good idea… 1) Buddleja should be planted in the spring to allow them to become well established by fall. 2) Plant where they will receive at least 6 hours of sun per day. Ummm, that won’t happen on the north side of the house. 3) Plant in very well-draining soil. Well, strike 3 because the soil on the north side stays damp longer, although the soil is well-draining. 4) Information suggests planting Buddleja slightly higher than ground level, especially where I put it… SO, now what? Do I move it already or wait until spring? Leaving it there could result in root rot…
As I mentioned, Buddlejas prefer full sun, but other information says full sun to part shade. I had the pot behind the shed throughout the summer with most of the other potted plants in light to part shade. It did just fine and flowered well all summer.
You can go to THIS PAGE for growing tips.
Unfortunately, the Buddleja ‘Pugster Blue’ did not return in the spring of 2018. Hopefully, someday I can find another one.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. I would like to hear from you if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know.
There isn’t much information online about this cultivar yet, but I highly recommend giving it a try.
The Belmont Rooster 