Which butterfly tree to choose?
Very floriferous shrubs
Contents
It is not easy to find your way through the multitude of varieties of Buddlejas or butterfly bushes, the best known of which is Buddleja davidii, available in a great many cultivars.
Choosing the right Buddleja depends on its height, the colour of its flowers—white, lilac, pink, bicoloured or yellow—but also on the intended location: a bed, flowering hedge, rock garden or container on a sunny terrace.
Undemanding and highly ornamental, if it thrives in all gardens, its wild character and exuberant flowering work wonders in naturalistic spaces. Its great resistance to heavy pollution makes it an essential plant in urban gardens.
Buddleja davidii, B. alternifolia, Buddleia globosa, Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleia Lochinch, from the most common to the most surprising, you are sure to find the butterfly bush that suits you among the many varieties, including some rare ones that we offer.
Buddleia davidii: a great classic
Buddleja davidii forms a beautiful, fragrant and elegant shrub, remarkably floriferous throughout the summer.
Buddleja davidii, or David’s butterfly bush is the best known and most widespread of them all.
With its slightly carefree silhouette and wild appearance, Buddleja davidii is perfectly suited to country hedges and natural gardens.
Its fragrant, nectar-rich flowers constantly attract butterflies, adding to the enchanting display, and they also look lovely in cut flower arrangements. It grows so easily almost everywhere in France, quickly colonising any piece of fallow ground where it has been planted, that it has earned the nickname of motorway-side butterfly bush!
This generous shrub deserves to be judged beyond this cliché and its reputation as an invasive plant. Some sterile varieties, which have the advantage of not spreading, are now available. David’s butterfly bush has given rise to numerous cultivars and hybrids, including ‘White Ball’, ‘Summer Beauty’, ‘Blue Chip’…
It flowers from July to September-October and produces abundant panicles of flowers measuring 30 to 40cm in length. These are lilac or white in wild buddleias, but also deep blue, purple, pink or purplish-red in horticultural varieties. It grows in full sun and is happy in all well-drained soils, even the poorest. It needs little or no watering, making it an essential shrub for low-maintenance gardens and weekend gardens, as well as for fragrant gardens.
You can plant it in a group or as a solitary specimen, at the back of shrub borders and in an informal hedge. It pairs well with all kinds of shrubs, such as Ceanothus and rose of Sharon, which flower at the same time. You can also pair it with other buddleias to create a range of blue shades.
Alongside the imposing form, there are also dwarf buddleias that do not exceed 1.20m at ripeness, perfect for adding flowers to small spaces, a terrace or a sunny balcony.
Our favourite Buddleja davidii varieties
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: tall or dwarf?
The choice is extensive within the Buddleja family, and can be guided by the plant’s eventual size and the space available.
- It is best to allow enough room for the largest forms: with their rapid growth, they will very quickly form screens of foliage that can easily exceed 5 m in height and almost as much in width when mature. Large Buddleja are superb in flowering informal hedges or at the back of shrub borders.
- Dwarf forms, which do not exceed 1.50 m at maturity, are perfect in containers for flowering small spaces and sunny terraces. You can also plant them in a small informal hedge to create a division between two themed areas in the garden.
Among butterfly bushes, size varies according to the species, from 90 cm to 6 m in height:
- The tallest (4 to 6 m): Buddleja globosa, Buddleja auriculata, Buddleja colvilei
- Medium-sized (4 m): Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleja alternifolia, or alternate-leaved butterfly bush
- Small (1.50 to 3 m): Buddleja x weyeriana, Buddleja davidii, Buddleja Lochinch, Buddleja crispa
Our favourite large Buddleja
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
Our favourite dwarf butterfly bushes
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 60 cm
Discover other Buddleja -Butterfly bush
View all →
Available in 3 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 2 sizes
Available in 2 sizes
Available in 2 sizes
Available in 2 sizes
Varieties in every colour
From June to September-October, the branches of butterfly bushes become covered in abundance with beautiful terminal panicles of small flowers in a range of colours, from midnight blue and lilac blue to lilac pink, intense purple and deep violet, as well as golden yellow. Combine varieties to create colourful, floriferous bushes and stagger flowering 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
Buddleja Pink Delight - Arbre à papillons, Buddleia de David, Buddleia du père David, Lilas d'été
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2,50 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 davidii × globosa Sungold - Arbre aux papillons Sungold, Buddléia de Weyer Sungold, Arbre aux papillons hybride Sungold
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
For a flowering hedge
Most Buddleias are remarkably effective when planted in groups, in informal cottage-style hedges, accompanied by laurustinus, photinias, Ceanothus or Californian lilacs, weigelas, rose of Sharon, viburnums, lavateras and even English or old-fashioned roses.
Fast-growing, with their elegant yet unconventional silhouettes, they quickly form screens of vegetation easily exceeding 5 m in height and spread within 5 to 6 years. Practical for creating an instant garden! Plant them in a sunny, fairly sheltered position.
Their decorative green foliage sometimes takes on a grey-green colour on the upper surface during summer, depending on the variety, while the undersides are almost white. Some even offer variegated foliage.
For a striking effect, do not hesitate to group different varieties together, as this will stagger the flowering and allow you to enjoy their generous panicles in mauve-pink, bright pink, white, blue or even orangey yellow from June to October. The variety of colours inspires contrasting displays or attractive harmonies of blue or pink.
The best Buddleias for hedges
Buddleja Flower Power - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2 m
Buddleja x davidii 'Notbud' Masquerade - Arbre à papillons, Buddleia de David, Buddleia du père David, Lilas d'été
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 2 m
In a container on a sunny terrace
Some Buddleias growing no more than 1.20 m in all directions are perfectly suited to growing in pots or large containers. These compact versions of the taller forms share their advantage of producing a very long summer flowering period, from June to October, with a pleasant scent that attracts numerous butterflies. They require a little more attention than their traditional counterparts grown in the ground: feed them to encourage flowering and water them regularly, 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 Buddleja seeds have a great capacity for dispersal. For this reason, this shrub has a serious reputation as an invasive plant and is considered invasive in Europe and in some regions of France. If regular pruning and removing faded flowers as they appear can help limit its spread, recent selections include sterile varieties that have the advantage of not spreading. A real bonus for small spaces or when you want to control spontaneous sowing.
Our favourites
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 60 cm
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
The Most Original Butterfly Trees
Alongside the classic David’s butterfly bush, some varieties of butterfly bush stand out for the originality of their inflorescences.
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
- Subscribe!
- Contents
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Comments