Buddleja Species, Asian Butterfly Bush, Dogtail, Dog Tail

This excerpt was taken from Mountain Valley Growers:

"The Winter Flowering Lilac, Buddleia asiatica, is not the most attra...Read Morective of the Butterfly Bushes. It can reach 12 feet or more and has widely spaced leaves that often curl or hang down. It blooms in late winter and early spring and often looks like it is all flowers and no leaves at all. When the flowers are finished the shrub tends to look dead. Thankfully, this is the time for pruning. Unlike, the more common Buddleia davidiis, B. asiatica blooms on year old wood. Soon new bright green leaves with felty white undersides will grow, but the shrub will remain without flowers the rest of the season. While the flowers of this Buddleia may not rival the appearance of more common Buddleias, the fragrance more than makes up for it. The B. daviddiis do have a luscious honey aroma, but it doesn't waft through the air with the heavenly scent of Freesias like Buddleia asiatica.

Because Buddleia asiatica makes its new growth late in spring, plants are usually only available later in summer or fall.

Native to Asia, this warm weather Butterfly Bush has naturalized itself, probably spread by wind, on moist lava beds in Hawaii. Amazingly, they grow and thrive, but don't get as tall as they would in an irrigated garden."

A native of Eastern Asia, this Butterfly Bush is one of the largest. It can be pruned very hard and responds well to this treatment. If...Read More they are not pruned they tend to get quite large and rather leggy after several seasons. Younger unpruned plants produce flowers sooner in the growing season since it flowers on new growth. It is a moderately succulent caned, large, arching shrub. They are adaptable to a large range of water needs. The flowers are very fragrant. They can be kept blooming by deadheading the spent flowers. The flowers do not readily drop on their own. .