Buddleia Davidii Plant Characteristics

Form

• Buddleia davidii grows 8 to 10 feet tall in an open, rounded vase shape with long, arching branches. In cold climates, it dies back to the ground in winter like a perennial. In mild climates, gardeners cut the plant down to about 2 feet in early spring, forming a low structure for the new stems, which grow quickly to full height in one season. Buddleia blooms on new wood.

History

• The name buddleia honors a 17th century amateur botanist, the Rev. Adam Buddle. The first buddleia to reach England, B. globosa, was discovered in Chile. Its blooms are round and golden, hence the descriptor, globosa. Most butterfly bushes are native to China, and the Chinese species B. davidii is named after Pere Armand David, a French Jesuit missionary. Seeds for it reached London's Kew Gardens in 1896.

Culture

• Plant B. davidii in full to part sun. It prefers well-drained, evenly moist soil but grows in all types of soil. It is heat- and drought-tolerant once established, and few pests bother it. Buddleia is hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Deadhead the spent blooms to keep the plant blooming until frost.

Leaves and Flowers

• Buddleia's long, narrow leaves emerge late in spring and remain silvery green until they drop in fall. Their undersides are fuzzy and white. The flowers are light purple, dark purple, reddish purple, pink, white or gold. They cluster in a cone-shaped spire that grows 6 to 10 inches long. The fragrant blooms cover the plant from July through August, longer if deadheaded.

Varieties

• A compact cultivar, B. davidii var. nanhoensis, grows 4 to 8 feet tall. Varieties include Nanho Alba, Nanho Blue and Nanho Purple. Black Knight is a popular variety sold in North America, with 10-inch, dark purple blooms. Dartmoor has magenta-purple flowers, Honeycomb blooms in yellow, and Harlequin has white and green variegated foliage with reddish-purple flowers.