Which butterfly tree to choose?
Very floriferous bushes
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Not easy to navigate through the multitude of varieties that the Buddleias or Butterfly Trees encompass, the most well-known being Buddleja davidii, which comes in a wide range of cultivars.
Choosing the right Buddleia depends on its height, the colour of its flowers—white, lilac, pink, bicoloured, or yellow—but also on the intended location: in a border, flowering hedges, rockeries, or in a pot on a sunny terrace.
Unfussy and highly ornamental, it thrives in all gardens, its wild aspect and exuberant flowering are a delight in naturalistic spaces. Its great resistance to high pollution levels makes it essential in urban gardens.
Buddleja davidii, B. alternifolia, Buddleia globosa, Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleia Lochinch, from the most common to the most surprising, you will surely find the Butterfly Tree that suits you among the many varieties, including some rare ones that we offer.
Buddleia davidii: a great classic
Buddleia davidii forms a beautiful, fragrant, and elegant bush, remarkably floriferous throughout the summer.
The Buddleja davidii or David’s buddleia is the most well-known and common of all.
With its slightly casual silhouette and wild appearance, Buddleia davidii is perfectly suited for country hedges and natural gardens.
Its fragrant and melliferous flowers constantly attract butterflies, contributing to the enchanting spectacle and are also very pretty in cut flower arrangements. It grows so easily almost everywhere in France, quickly colonising any fallow land that it has been labelled as a roadside tree!
This generous bush deserves to be seen beyond this cliché and its reputation as an invader. Some sterile varieties that have the advantage of not spreading now exist. David’s buddleia has given rise to many cultivars and hybrids such as ‘White Ball’, ‘Summer Beauty’, ‘Blue Chip’…
It blooms from July to September-October and offers abundant spikes of flowers 30 to 40 cm long in lilac or white for wild buddleias, but also intense blue, purple, pink, or red-purple for horticultural varieties. It thrives in full sun and is content with any well-drained soil, even the poorest, requiring little or no watering, making it an essential shrub in gardens without gardeners or weekend gardens, as well as in fragrant gardens.
You can place it in groups or as a solitary specimen, at the back of shrub borders and in free hedges. It pairs well with all kinds of shrubs, such as Ceanothus and Altheas that bloom at the same time, but you can also combine it with other Buddleias for a harmonious blue palette.
In addition to the imposing form, there are dwarf Buddleias that do not exceed 1.20 m at maturity, perfect for flowering small spaces or a sunny terrace or balcony.
Our favourite varieties of Buddleia davidii
Buddleja davidii Nanho Blue - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Buddleia davidii Black Knight - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia davidii Summer Beauty - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
A choice of pruning: large or dwarf?
The choice is vast within the Buddleia family, and can be guided by size depending on the intended location.
- It is better to allow space for the largest forms: with their rapid growth, they will quickly form screens of greenery easily exceeding 5 m in height and nearly as wide when mature. Large Buddleias are wonderful in vibrant, flowering hedges or as a backdrop for shrub borders.
- Dwarf forms, not exceeding 1.50 m at ripeness, are perfect in pots to brighten up small spaces and sunny terraces. You can also plant them in a low, free-standing hedge to create a separation between two thematic areas in the garden.
For Butterfly Trees, the height varies by species from 90 cm to 6 m:
- The tallest (4 to 6 m): Buddleia globosa, Buddleia auriculata, Buddleja colvilei
- The medium (4 m): Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleja alternifolia or alternate-leaved Buddleia
- The small (1.50 to 3 m): Buddleja x weyeriana, Buddleja davidii, Buddleia Lochinch, Buddleja crispa
Buddleja colvilei - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 4 m
Buddleja alternifolia - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July, August
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 90 cm
Discover other Buddleja -Butterfly bush
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Varieties of all colours
From June to September-October, the branches of Butterfly Bushes are abundantly covered with beautiful terminal panicles of small flowers in varied colours ranging from midnight blue, lilac blue, to lilac pink or intense purple, dark violet, and golden yellow. Combine the varieties to create colourful and floriferous bushes and stagger the flowerings throughout the summer!
Buddleia davidii Adonis Blue - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja Blue Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 1 m
Buddleja Lochinch - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia davidii Pink Delight - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia Miss Ruby - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Buddleja davidii White Ball White - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja Silver Anniversary - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Buddleja x weyeriana Sungold
- Flowering time September to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
For a flowering hedge
Most Buddleias are remarkable when used in groups, in free-flowing hedges with a rustic appearance, accompanied by laurustinus, photinias, Ceanothus or California lilacs, weigelias, Althaeas, viburnums, lavateras, and even with English or old roses.
Fast-growing, with their silhouette that is both elegant and unconventional, they quickly form screens of vegetation easily exceeding 5 m in height in all directions within 5 to 6 years. Practical for creating an instant garden! Plant them in a sunny, not overly windy location.
Their decorative green foliage sometimes takes on a grey-green hue on the top and almost white underneath during summer, depending on the variety. Some even offer variegated foliage.
For a striking effect, don’t hesitate to group different varieties, as this will stagger the flowering and allow you to enjoy their generous pink-mauve, bright pink, white, blue, or even orange-yellow panicles from June to October. The variety of their colours inspires contrasting displays or lovely shades of blues or pinks.
The best Buddleias for hedges
Buddleja Flower Power - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2 m
Buddleia davidii Masquerade - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2,50 m
In a container on a sunny terrace
Some Buddleias that do not exceed 1.20 m in all directions are perfectly suited for pot or large container cultivation. These smaller versions of the taller forms have, like them, the advantage of possessing a very long summer flowering period, from June to October, with a pleasant scent that attracts numerous butterflies. They require a bit more attention than their classic garden counterparts: fertiliser to promote flowering and regular watering, especially in summer.
Essential dwarf varieties
Buddleja davidii Lilac Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August, September
- Height at maturity 70 cm
Buddleja davidii White Ball - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Non-invasive Buddleias
The seeds of Buddleia have a high dispersal capacity. For these reasons, this bush has a serious reputation as an invader and is considered invasive in Europe and certain regions of France. While regular pruning and the removal of faded flowers can help limit its spread, recent selections offer sterile varieties that have the advantage of not spreading. A real plus for small spaces or when wanting to control spontaneous sowing.
Our favourites
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 90 cm
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
The most original Butterfly Trees
Next to the classic Davi’s Buddleiad, some varieties of Butterfly Bush stand out for their originality of their flowering.
Buddleja macrostachya - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time June to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja colvilei - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 4 m
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