Our plant pick this week just happens to have been chosen as Japan’s top award winner – 2024 Flower of the Year (chosen from 61 varieties that were award winners in their category), which is the most famous and prestigious one in Japan. WOW! It’s Pugster Amethyst Buddleia! The Pugster series was developed thru Spring Meadow Nursery / University of Connecticut / Proven Winners and has been available at nurseries for a few years now, and yes, getting great reviews here as well! (The series has won awards in Europe, North America, and now Japan.)
What's so unique about the series is that it offers full size flowers on very sturdy dwarf plants that usually remain in that 24” height range. Flowers on new growth, summer thru early fall, and has shown great winter hardiness. Pugster Amethyst has unusually large amethyst-purple flowers, and yes, smell great in the garden, and yes, attracts butterflies and pollinators galore! And did I mention it shows low browse from deer, and tolerates heat and drought very well? It does (actually prefers well drained soils)! Visit your local independent garden center this spring and check out the entire Pugster series (I think there are 4 or 5 in the series), but make sure you plant Amethyst – an award winning butterfly bush!