Buddleia

Buddleja davidii

Buddleia — the butterfly bush — is one of the most wildlife-friendly shrubs you can grow, producing long, conical panicles of honey-scented flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and moths in huge numbers from July to September. On a warm summer afternoon, a buddleia in full flower can be covered with peacock, red admiral, painted lady, and comma butterflies. It's incredibly easy to grow — tolerating poor soil, drought, pollution, and neglect. It will even grow in cracks in walls and paving, as anyone who has seen it colonising railway embankments and derelict buildings will know. In gardens, it grows quickly to 3–4 metres but should be pruned hard every March — cut all the previous year's growth back to a low framework of 30–60cm. This seems drastic but produces stronger growth and larger flower panicles on the new wood. Without pruning, plants become leggy, top-heavy, and flower poorly. 'Black Knight' (deep purple) and 'Royal Red' (magenta) are classic varieties. 'White Profusion' has elegant white panicles. The compact 'Buzz' series reaches only 1.2m, ideal for smaller gardens and containers. B. × weyeriana 'Sungold' produces unusual orange-yellow flower balls. Deadhead spent flower panicles to encourage a second flush and prevent self-seeding (buddleia can be invasive in wild areas).

Plan where to grow Buddleia using our vegetable garden planner.