Saturday, November 19, 2011

What plants work well framing a butterfly bush?

I have a Black Knight Butterfly Bush that is about 1ft x 1ft right now. I know that its going to be about 8ft x 6ft. I bought 3 different varieties of Echinacea and 1 Butterfly weed.


The Echinacea will go behind the butterfly weed.


My question is What can I put around the butterfly bush that will grow taller than the Echinacea?


Would you put an ornamental grass near a butterfly bush? I plan on keeping the bush tailored for the area.|||You may need to rethink your butterfly weed and Echinacea, the purple coneflower. Butterfly weed tends to be more bushy and offers little to no transparency. Coneflower can be quite open and airy. If you put the butterfly weed in front it will block the view of the coneflower, but put it the other way around and you'll see through the front plant to enjoy the butterfly weed behind. Plus, in comparison, coneflower has a far nicer, larger flower that you'll want front and center.





When you have a big tall butterfly bush and the shorter perennials, a medium height plant with different color and texture would be ideal. Since you have nothing with truly unique foliage that offers interest when the others are out of bloom, select a special eye popping grass because it will add visual diversity to the composition. Its colors will also play off all the dark green leaves with a bonus of beautiful grass flowers nodding in the autumn winds.





Here are three excellent choices to spice up your great start, each offering a different size, shape and effect. Links below will take you to more detailed profiles with USDA climate zone hardiness ratings and pictures of each plant.





Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus' The light value of variegated maiden grass it will stand out boldly against the dark green perennials.





Muhlenbergia capillaris A fabulous North American native, pink muhly, produces incredibly bright pink flower heads in the late season.





Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' For a third choice treated as an annual because it is not very cold hardy, try purple fountain grass with its deep red foliage and nodding lavender shaded flower heads.|||a hydrangea

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