The best white Butterfly bushes for a blooming garden

Buddleja davidii ‘Butterfly Candy Little White’

Buddleia davidii ‘Butterfly Candy Little White’ is a compact miniature variety, ideal for pot culture, but also for borders or beds. Its dense, bushy habit reaches 80 cm across, making it easy to integrate into the garden, on balconies or terraces.

Throughout the summer, from July to October, it bears long cone-shaped spikes up to about 12 cm long. They consist of delicate white flowers with a honey-like fragrance. They are tubular in shape, with a single small yellow eye at their centre.

The lanceolate, slightly villous foliage bears a pretty green-silvery hue. It dies back in autumn.

Hardy and easy to grow, this Buddleia will thrive in all soils, even poor ones. Plant it in a sunny or partly shaded position, sheltered from strong winds. It tolerates urban pollution very well and withstands occasional drought. A simple late-winter pruning will help it maintain the harmony of its silhouette.

It’s a small shrub, perfect for a white garden, and can be paired with small roses or hydrangeas.

The Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion’

‘White Profusion’ is a very vigorous Buddleja davidii, reaching 3 metres in height and 4 metres in spread at maturity. Its rounded habit offers a supple and graceful silhouette.

This variety becomes a true cascade of flowers during the summer. From June to September, ‘White Profusion’ indeed flowers generously, producing large panicles reaching nearly 35 cm in length, resembling candles. They bear white flowers simply accented by a small yellow eye. This flowering is also fragrant, emitting a honeyed scent that attracts insects. It is complemented by silvery-green foliage, which persists if winters are not too harsh.

Grow this white Buddleja in full sun, in all soil types, even calcareous soils. It will be superb in a flowering hedge, alongside Ceanothus, Spiraea japonica and Mock Orange.

Buddleja davidii 'White Ball'

‘White Ball’ is a white Buddleja of very modest size, perfect for confined spaces, for example in an urban garden. Plan for a height of around 1.2 metres with a 1.5–2 metre spread at maturity for this pretty bush. Its compact silhouette is fairly dense and broad, with a rounded habit.

From July to September, ‘White Ball’ reveals snow-white panicles, slightly shorter than those of other varieties (about 15–25 cm), but much denser. They consist of small white flowers with yellow throats, which contrast well with the green-silvery foliage. Their sweet, honeyed fragrance, once again, delights visiting pollinators.

In sun or partial shade, grow this easy-to-grow, sturdy and hardy variety. Plant it in a border with perennials such as salvias, tree mallows or asters.

Buddleia crispa x loricata 'Silver Anniversary'

The Buddleia ‘Silver Anniversary’ is an uncommon species, which you’re less likely to encounter in gardens. Its foliage is incredibly bright, a pretty silver-grey leaning towards white, with a velvety appearance. It lasts through the seasons.

Flowering further enhances this light effect in summer, thanks to its small white panicles with many orange centres. As with other Buddleias, the flowers are fragrant and attract many insects.

At maturity, ‘Silver Anniversary’ will form a true glowing ball about 1.5 metres in all directions, compact and dense.

Its only drawback lies in its hardiness, significantly more limited than that of other Buddleias: it tolerates frosts down to only -6 to -8°C on average.

However, its compact habit will allow it to be grown in pots in regions with the harshest winters, making it easy to bring indoors under shelter to protect it from the cold.

This mild-climate Buddleia will also be perfect on a terrace or balcony, with small hardy geraniums at its feet.

It also adapts well to contemporary gardens. Easy to grow, it tolerates summer drought well and will establish itself in well-drained soil in a sunny position.

Buddleja davidii ‘Nanho White’

The Buddleia davidii ‘Nanho White’ is a pretty compact white variety, reaching 1.5 metres in all directions. It is considered a dwarf Buddleia, which can be grown in ground and in pots.

Throughout the summer, from June to September, it produces in waves flowering spikes about fifteen centimetres long, comprising numerous small white flowers with orange throats. Melliferous and fragrant, the flowering attracts many insects, including butterflies, of course.

Its lanceolate foliage, a silver-green shade, is also ornamental. It persists if winter is not too cold.

This variety has the advantage of being fairly drought-tolerant, which reduces its water needs.

Its compact habit is graceful thanks to its slightly arching shoots. ‘Nanho White’ allows you to create striking displays in all garden styles, from naturalistic to contemporary.

Hardy and undemanding, this Buddleja will thrive in full sun or partial shade, in all soil types, even poor soils. It is an ideal Buddleja for creating beautiful summer bouquets, with hydrangeas and a few Eucalyptus branches. In the garden, it will be perfect alongside crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia).