It is so much fun this time of the year as we celebrate the Pantone color of the year Peach Fuzz, Proven Winners annual of the year Supertunia Jazzberry petunia and now how about the 2024 Flower of the Year in Japan. I know you are thinking, Why would we celebrate that? We certainly do, if it is one of our guys or gals!
That's right, one of our team, Pugster Amethyst butterfly bush has won the prestigious Flower of the Year from the Japan Flower Selections Association. As a horticulturist I'm more tend to think we get plants from Japan such as the Washington cherry trees. Then there are the azaleas, camellias and a million others.
But Pugster, the short chubby butterfly bush, just won the trifecta. Yes, trifecta as in awards in the United States, Europe and now Japan. High-fives are certainly going around with Proven Winners and Spring Meadow Nursery but also University of Connecticut for their butterfly bush research. There are high-fives among us gardeners too that have fallen head over heels for Pugster Amethyst in our landscapes.
Short, as in 24 inches tall, with chubby flowers are certainly noteworthy attributes in a world where butterfly bushes have reached the second story in height. Then there is the accompanying fragrance that will sweep you off your feet. It will be the butterfly champ in your landscape.
At The Garden Guy's house there have been Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Black Swallowtails, Pipevine Swallowtails and Spicebush Swallowtails attracted to the bush. There have also been American Lady and Common Buckeyes. Of course, you can expect bees and hummingbirds, too.
The 24-inch-tall, 35-inch-wide habit provides ample opportunity for landscape partnerships and container uses as well. Over the years I have grown them surrounded by Supertunia petunias, in partnership with Color Coded Orange You Awesome echinacea and then with Truffula Pink gomphrena and Limelight Prime hydrangea.
One of my favorite attributes so far is that they have not been on the deer menu. This year a lot of deer-resistant plants have been eaten. The Pugsters have held strong, however, giving me hope for the future that I can tweak this one bed by using resistant combinations versus applying deer repellents.
Pugster butterfly bushes are recommended for zones 5-9 meaning a huge area of the country can relish in their beauty. There are five varieties or colors from which to choose. All are considered really easy to grow. (Arkansas is in zones 6-8 with most of the state in zone 8.)
Give them fertile soil, good drainage with full sun and you will have garnered the "Green Thumb Award." No longer will you need an acre to grow the butterfly bush or a ladder to see the butterflies. If your soil drains poorly this is your danger point; plant on raised beds and even plant a little high with the root ball slightly higher than the soil surface. We also do this with azaleas.
Prune your Pugster butterfly bush in the spring with the initiation of growth. In the hot and humid South, we cut ours back hard. Those of you in the North can leave a little more wood. You are not helping the plant whatsoever by skipping the annual pruning.
Spring is just around the corner so start sourcing your Pugsters and asking your favorite garden center to get them. Your decision will be how to use them. Use them in the flower garden, butterfly garden and even in containers. Let your creative and artistic abilities go wild. You are the Monet of your garden.
Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of "Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South" and "Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden."
Pugster Amethyst butterfly bush seen here with Supertunias has been chosen as the 2024 Flower of the Year in Japan. Pugsters have now won awards in the United States, Europe and Japan. (TNS/Norman Winter)