Purple Blooming Shrubs in Charleston: Butterfly Bush vs Chaste Tree:
- 10 hours ago
- 1 min read
Charleston is COVERED in purple blooms right now! If you're walking through the city in June, you're probably noticing Buddleia aka butterfly bush and Vitex agnus-castus aka chaste tree growing in all the gardens. These purple blooming shrubs appear similar (at first!) and are often used the same way in a landscape, but there are some key features differentiating them. Keep reading to learn more about Charleston's favorite purple blooming shrubs!
Butterfly bush features bright green leaves arranged in a simple leaf structure. Size and leaf color depends on the variety but leaves grow opposite each other on a woody stem. Butterfly bush blooms are cone shaped and droop downward, typically in a purple, pink, or white color. The shrubs grow 5-10 feet tall with long arching branches. They prefer full sun, well-draining soil, and are slightly drought tolerant once established.
Chaste tree also sports purple cone shaped blooms, but they point upward. These shrubs grow much larger, even reaching 10-20 feet and can be pruned into a small tree. The chaste tree leaves are a muted green color in a palmate compound arrangement, meaning they grow outward from a single point. These shrubs are also drought tolerant once established and thrive in full sun.
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