My dream flower is a nightmare

I just started gardening 6 months ago. The very first flower/bush I wanted was a Butterfly Bush. Yes, I know they are on the obnoxious weed list. After two failed attempts with very small ones, I bought a 5 foot one. Although, the bush itself looks ok, I think, I am having a lot of difficulty with the flowers themselves. My nursery doesn't seem to know what's wrong. Since I planted it, I have planted 26 other flowers/plants that seem to do fine, it's just my dream flower I am having trouble with. I have several pics, if someone knows something about ButterflyBushes can you let me know, and I will send you some pics, maybe you or someone else has had this experience or will know something about it. I finally quit over watering it, which was the problem with the first 2.
Thanks in advance
Vicki

Those look like perfectly fine flower buds that haven't opened yet. What's the problem?

They don't need a lot of water once they are established.

I don't see anything wrong in the picture you've got there. If it's not blooming prolifically, it's probably still trying to get established. Especially if you planted it this summer, it's very stressful for plants to be newly planted in the heat so you're lucky if you get any flowers at all, give it some time to get settled.

You can prune every other leaf bud, or pinch them off until they really
bush out. The flowers form on new growth, so the more leaf tips
you have going, the more blooms next year. A big one like yours only
needs a DEEP watering once a week.(if in ground) Butterfly bush
is very forgiving, give your dream plant a chance.

Butterfly bushes are wonderful plants. We started with a couple of 2 foot twigs years ago and now have searched to find several different colors of butterfly bushes. They do better as each year passes, as the roots get to grow more in the ground. I will attach a picture that shows all the different colors we have. We have noticed that by cutting the butterfly bush down in the spring and thinning out the branches,the blooms become larger and last longer. We play with them and try different things almost every year. The bees love our yellow butterfly bush and the hummingbirds and butterflies are around all summer. When we do let our butterfly bushes get larger, they also provide some privacy from the neighbors.

Like the others mentioned, it just needs time to get established. Mine do well in full sun with or without water.
Take care and happy gardening --
Maria

If you're in the coastal part of Oregon, these are a rather nasty invasive, so please deadhead your flowers so they don't form seeds. If you're on the drier colder side of the state I don't know if they're as much of a problem, but in the milder wetter coastal climates they are a problem.