Buddleia Blue Chip Jr - Butterfly Bush

The Buddleia 'Blue Chip Jr' is an improved form of the famous 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush: it has even smaller dimensions and is also a cultivar with abundant and early flowering. This dwarf butterfly bush develops fragrant purplish-blue flower panicles on its fine greyish-green foliage throughout the summer. Its compact size is suitable for borders and sunny patios, and it is non-invasive.

The Buddleia is a shrub belonging to the scrophulariaceae family. It can be found along rivers, in rocky regions, and in copse areas in Asia, Africa, and America. These shrubs are appreciated for their panicles of small tubular flowers, often fragrant, which attract butterflies and earn them the nickname "butterfly plant". This shrub grows well in flowerbeds, preferably near a sunny wall. It blooms practically without interruption from June until the first frost.

'Blue Chip Jr' is a dwarf and non-invasive form that reaches 50 to 80 cm in all directions at maturity. It forms a compact ball and develops stout and arching branches that give it a beautiful bushy and trailing habit. It grows rapidly and flowers from June to October, producing an abundance of very dense flower panicles. These flowers are purplish-blue and release a sweet fragrance, highly sought after by pollinating insects. The highly ornamental foliage of this butterfly bush consists of long greyish-green leaves, with a greyish down on the underside. The leaves, 12 to 20 cm long, are pointed and lanceolate. This very hardy shrub does not suffer from occasional drought in deep soil.

The Buddleia davidii 'Blue Chip Jr' is easy to grow as it is a low-maintenance plant. It enjoys sunny locations but also blooms in partial shade. Plant it in spring or early autumn in ordinary, even poor and calcareous soil, as long as it is well-worked and well-drained. Once established, the plant can tolerate moderate periods of drought. Plant this small shrub in borders, flowerbeds, or pots on the terrace or balcony, including in coastal areas. Its soft-toned foliage will enhance red roses or the colourful panicles of dwarf summer lilacs. In a monochromatic theme, for example, you can plant it with a small purple Rudbeckia like the variety Little Magnus, whose flowers have a very different shape.