This shrub typically grows to a maximum height of 5 feet with full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It has spikes of rich magenta-purple blooms that attract butterflies and hummingbirds from early summer to early fall. It is good in a border when grown in massed plantings. It is also a popular cut flower. The plant has received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. Like other butterfly bushes, it often dies back in severe winters and dead branches will need to be pruned out when new growth is evident in the spring.