The Story Behind The Butterfly Candy® Collection

Butterfly Candy® may be known today for its compact size, bright blooms, and pollinator appeal, but the collection started years before the first plant ever reached a garden center.

It all began in the Netherlands with a simple goal: create a butterfly bush that delivered the color and flower power gardeners love in Buddleia, but in a smaller, tidier plant that could fit into more gardens. That idea eventually grew into the Butterfly Candy collection we know today.

A New Kind of Butterfly Bush

Traditional butterfly bushes are loved for their long-lasting blooms and ability to attract butterflies and other pollinators, but many can grow quite large. Breeder Jim Koot and the team behind Van Son & Koot and Botanic Experience saw an opportunity to create something different.

Their breeding program focused on developing Buddleia with a naturally compact, tidy habit, abundant blooms, and distinctive flower colors. Rather than simply making a smaller butterfly bush, the goal was to bring together the characteristics gardeners value most in one easy-to-grow plant.

Thousands of Plants, Just a Few Standouts

Creating a new plant variety takes patience! The Butterfly Candy breeding program began with new Buddleia crosses made in the Netherlands. From those crosses came thousands of individual seedlings, each with its own combination of traits.

The plants were grown, observed, and evaluated over time, and at one stage of the process, approximately 25,000 plants were grown and assessed. From those thousands, breeders narrowed the group to about 100 promising selections.

Then the standards became even higher. The selections had to offer more than beautiful flowers. They also needed the compact growth habit, consistent performance, and distinctive colors the breeders had been working toward. Ultimately, only five varieties stood out enough to become part of the original collection: Li'l Coconut™, Li'l Grape™, Li'l Lavender™, Li'l Raspberry™, and Li'l Taffy™.

Why Compact Size Matters

The smaller size of Butterfly Candy was intentional from the beginning! Gardens have changed, and many modern gardeners are working with smaller yards, patios, raised beds, and containers, but they still want plants that provide plenty of color and support pollinators.

Butterfly Candy was developed to fit those spaces more naturally. All varieties in the collection mature around 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, making them easy to incorporate into sunny borders, foundation plantings, mixed beds, and containers. Their compact habit also helps the plants maintain a full, tidy appearance without taking over the landscape.

Color Was Part of the Story, Too

Size was only one piece of the breeding goal. The team also wanted Butterfly Candy to offer a range of standout flower colors.

That careful selection eventually produced the colorful varieties that define the collection today, including shades of raspberry, lavender, purple, pink, and white. One of the early selections even earned recognition in Europe for its distinctive color and garden performance! Together, the varieties make it possible to enjoy the same compact habit while choosing the flower color that best fits your garden.

From the Netherlands to Gardens Across the World

Once the first Butterfly Candy varieties were selected, the collection quickly began reaching gardeners beyond the Netherlands. The plants were introduced into markets around the world, including North America, where Butterfly Candy became a way for gardeners to enjoy the classic appeal of Buddleia in a much more compact form.

Today, the collection brings together the qualities its breeders originally set out to create: compact growth, distinctive color, and plenty of blooms. And, of course, flowers that help bring butterflies and other pollinators into the garden!

A Small Plant With a Big Story

The next time you see a Butterfly Candy covered in blooms, there is more behind it than meets the eye. Each variety represents years of crossing, growing, observing, and selecting plants until only the strongest candidates remained.

From thousands of seedlings in the Netherlands to compact butterfly bushes growing in gardens today, Butterfly Candy is the result of a simple idea pursued with a lot of patience, dedication, and passion.

Want to learn more?

Follow along as horticulture expert Jim Putnam tours the nursery where Butterfly Candy first came to life, and hear the story behind the collection directly from Jim Koot, the breeder behind Butterfly Candy.