Butterfly bush

close up of seeds (actually I just zoomed and cropped the previous photo so the quality isn't sharp)

plus these were all adhoc with the digital

Thanks for the pictures. From the looks of your pictures, I think I was probably too late when I tried to collect seeds. My flower/seed branches were much browner than yours.

I'll have to remember this for next year.

Actually I didn't see any seedpods on the photo you posted. Don't know why, but they dont all set seed pods. That or they dried up infertile. Just the little brown sticks jutting out from little pieces of leaf like material.

If you deadhead, then next year either stop deadheading earlier or just selectively leave a few big ones to mature for seed. Especially if you've had some butterflies working the bush for a day or two, then tie a string around a couple of big bloom heads you saw them on and let them mature.

I bought a "rescue" Butterfly bush last fall. Didn't know if it would make it through the winter but it did. Before it got too cold I was wandering around the garden & knocked into the bush. Seeds went everywhere. I made a mental note of it so I could see if any grew in the spring. Yep! They did. I potted up 60 of them to give away. I was sooo tired of potting them up, I just left the rest to grow under the mama. About a month ago I dug up some more of them & planted them in containers & in various places in my yard. They seem to be very easy.
This fall I deadheaded it. I didn't want to deal with all those babies!
I don't know what variety it is, but it is a very nice pinkish lavender color. I like its weeping habit.
Anyone wanting some in the spring, let me know. I've never sent anything out before but will be glad to try.
Pam

Maybe you could root things a bit more easily with "willow water." You take cuttings from a pussy willow or a willow tree, root them in water & save the water to use to root other cuttings which could be difficult to root, otherwise. My buddleas reseed themselves. At least the lt blue one does. We have 2 small ones that came from it behind my husband's workshed and we have to prune them hard as there isn't enough room to walk around them.

When I plant seeds I do not always mark what they are because there are so many, then when I collect seed I just put them altogether, next year it makes a nice array of color when they are all mixed up.