Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy Little Sweetheart, Little White, Little Ruby - Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy® Trio is a composition of three varieties of dwarf butterfly bushes from the Butterfly Candy series grown in the same pot. Little Sweetheart produces mauve flower spikes with yellow eyes, Little White blooms white, and Little Ruby has bright red flowers that fade to pink. These small bushes are highly floriferous throughout the summer, forming together a wide tricolour bush with a slight fragrance, attracting bees and butterflies. Hardy, easy to grow, and low-maintenance, these dwarf butterfly bushes fit well in small gardens and thrive in large pots.

The genus Buddleja comprises around a hundred species of deciduous or evergreen shrubs, native to China, Africa, South Asia, and South America. Belonging to the Scrophulariaceae (Buddlejaceae) family, Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy® is a group of recently selected hybrids in the Netherlands by Botanic Experience BV and the Dutch breeder Van Son & Koot from Kaatsheuvel. 

Each Buddleja Butterfly Candy Little is a small plant with a rounded habit not exceeding 80 cm (32 in). This variety develops a well-branched growth, with short upright branches, which gives it a balanced, compact habit that doesn't become bare at the base. The deciduous foliage falls in winter and regrows in spring. It consists of lanceolate, slightly velvety, greyish-green leaves. The flowering lasts for 4 to 5 months, from June-July to October, depending on the region. It consists of small tubular flowers gathered in conical panicles at the end of the branches, each measuring 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long. The flowers release a sweet scent reminiscent of honey, which is highly sought after by pollinating insects and butterflies. In the summer, after each wave of flowers, light pruning encourages the buddleja to develop new flowering shoots. This variety is very hardy, resists urban pollution, and tolerates moderate drought in open ground. When grown in containers, it will require regular watering and some fertiliser to support its growth and flowering.

Gardeners will find a great diversity of varieties in the butterfly bush range. With its intense "three-in-one" flowering, delicate fragrance, and modest size, Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy® Trio is suitable for small spaces as well as container cultivation. It easily pairs with other shrubs for containers. Plant it alongside other colourful perennials (Asters, Delphiniums, Echinaceas, Hemerocallis, Kniphofias), shrubs for borders, medium-sized grasses or other small flowering shrubs such as dwarf abelias for example. It can be planted near a terrace, along a path, in a small hedge, in a shrub border, and more.