Common Names: Buddleja, Butterfly Bush, Buddlea
Origin: Asia, Africa, Americas
- Heavily fragrant flowers
- Very hardy, easy to grow
- Range of colours
Buddleja are a butterfly haven! The sweet, nectar filled flowers bloom in the summer, filling the air with a heady fragrance and many, many butterflies! They also attract many other nectar loving insects like bees but not to worry, they’re too busy harvesting the yummy nectar than to go anywhere near you and your family.
These fragrant shrubs have soft, great foliage with lanceolate leaves throughout the warmer months. In the autumn the leaves fall leaving the shrub bare and ready to prune. These easy to maintain shrubs enjoy a hard prune in the late winter to clear out any dead wood and to reduce its size. In the spring it becomes aflush with new growth.
Plant Type: Shrub
Uses: Feature Shrub, Cut Flowers, Butterflies
Garden Types: Cottage, Hampton, Woodland, Lush & Leafy
Care
Sun Requirements: A full sun or part shade position.
Water Requirements: Water regularly from spring through to autumn. In hot climates, make sure plant is watered daily to maintain lush foliage but it can tolerate drought.
Soil Requirements: Prefers moist, well-drained loamy soil. However it will tolerate most soil conditions including clay, sandy soils and low nutrient soils.
Fertilizing: Use an all purpose fertiliser such as Charlie Carp All Purpose or Osmocote Total All Purpose during the spring and throughout the warmer months.
Pruning: Late winter just before budswell, clearing out dead or diseased wood and to reduce the shrubs size to a height more manageable. See our pruning advice page for more information.
Tolerances: Frost, poor soils, heat, drought
Pests & Diseases: Caterpillars (rare)
Key Features
Flower: Small, tubular flowers are tightly packed in long panicles, forming large flower spikes. Heavily fragrant. Found in a variety of colours including pink, purple, blue, yellow, orange, white.
Foliage: Soft green furry foliage. Lanceolate shaped opposite leaves.
Edible: No
Toxicity: N/A
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies, Honeyeaters
Which Buddleja To Choose?
There are several varieties of Buddleja to choose from. Here’s a quick breakdown of each of these varieties.
Purple Flowers
Purple flowering buddleja in various shapes and sizes.
Blue Flowers
Blue flowering buddleja in various shapes and sizes.
White Flowers
White flowering buddleja in various shapes and sizes.
Pink Flowers
Pink flowering buddleja in various shapes and sizes.
Yellow &
Orange Flowers
Yellow or Orange flowering buddleja in various shapes and sizes.
Still having trouble deciding which Buddleja is right for your job? Check out our quick comparison chart below!
| Foliage Colour | Flower Shape | Flower Colour | Average Max. Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Black Knight’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Dark Purple | 3m x 1.5m |
| ‘Buzz™ Hot Raspberry’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Magenta | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘Buzz™ Ivory’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | White | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘Buzz™ Midnight’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Dark Purple | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘Buzz™ Purple’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Purple | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘Buzz™ Sky Blue’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Lavender purple | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘CranRazz’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Magenta | 1.5m x 1.5m |
| ‘Buzz™ Velvet’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Magenta | 1.5m x 1.5m |
| ‘Buzz™ Soft Pink’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Soft Pink | 1.5m x 5m |
| ‘True Blue’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Lavender Blue | 1.5m x 1m |
| ‘Summer Beauty’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Pink | 1.5m x 1.5m |
| ‘Royal Red’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Deep Purple Pink | 3.5m x 4m |
| ‘Pink Delight’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Pink | 3.5m x 2m |
| ‘Nanho Blue’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Blue | 1.5m x 1.5m |
| ‘Joan’ | Light green | Panicle / Cone | Lavender purple | 4m x 2m |
| ‘High Five Purple’ | Light green | Panicle / Cone | Lavender purple | 0.6m x 0.5m |
| ‘White Bouquet’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | White | 2.5m x 1.5m |
| ‘Wisteria Lane’ | Light green | Panicle / Cone | Lavender purple | 1m x 1.6m |
| ‘Lo & Behold Blue Chip’ | Silver green | Panicle / Cone | Blue | 0.75m x 0.75m |
| ‘Lo & Behold Pink Micro Chip’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | Pink | 0.5m x 0.5m |
| ‘Petite Snow White’ | Green | Panicle / Cone | White | 0.75m x 0.75m |
