Butterfly Bush

[grouper52]

I thought I posted this guy before I put him in the ground a number of years ago, but the search turned up nothing. Of well.

Got this from a bonsai nursery where the owner had died, and his wife occasionally just told me to dig up some overgrown things when I would go there to look around. I don't know of anyone that has made a decent bonsai out of this species because they're usually just a curiosity for their flowers, which attract butterflies, I am told. Usually they're sold as a small bush, and of course won't thicken up in pots.

It's not a great species for bonsai in terms of its foliage and ramification and wiring capacities, but its a big guy (about 3' tall) with a great deal of carving opportunities, so I'll be giving it to Dan Robinson.

Enjoy.

 

[coh]

Amazing trunk for a butterfly bush. They grow around here but winter often kills them back to the ground, so we don't get trunks like that...unfortunately.

 

[aml1014]

We have tons of these things all over albuquerque, I think I need to go start asking some landowners around in spring.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I thought I posted this guy before I put him in the ground a number of years ago, but the search turned up nothing. Of well.

Got this from a bonsai nursery where the owner had died, and his wife occasionally just told me to dig up some overgrown things when I would go there to look around. I don't know of anyone that has made a decent bonsai out of this species because they're usually just a curiosity for their flowers, which attract butterflies, I am told. Usually they're sold as a small bush, and of course won't thicken up in pots.

It's not a great species for bonsai in terms of its foliage and ramification and wiring capacities, but its a big guy (about 3' tall) with a great deal of carving opportunities, so I'll be giving it to Dan Robinson.

Enjoy.

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It will be interesting to see what he does with it! I must admit I have never seen any with that thick of a trunk...which makes it pretty impressive from the start.

 

[M. Frary]

My sister just had me cut out 3 in her front yard. They were huge. Like 6 or 7 inches at the ground. Since they are a bush it didn't occur to me to try and dig one up. Now I'm wishing I hadn't put agent orange on the cut stump.