Buddleja davidii Marbled White Markeep - Butterfly Bush

Buddleia davidii Marbled White ('Markeep') is a compact-sized butterfly bush with dense foliage and a beautiful summer to autumn flowering. It produces large panicles of white flowers with orange hearts, constantly attracting butterflies. This bush is spectacular when in full bloom. It bears beautiful deciduous green and velvety foliage, which has a grey underside. Its modest size makes it easy to integrate into a small garden, in a shrub bed, in a flowering hedge, and also in a container on a terrace.

Buddleia davidii Marbled White is a deciduous bush with a spreading and compact habit, belonging to the Scrophulariaceae (buddlejaceae) family. This cultivar comes from Buddleia davidii, also known as Father David's Buddleia or Changing Buddleia, a robust Chinese species that has become invasive in our climates. Marbled White is part of the English Butterfly Series, a collection of cultivars selected by Elizabeth Keep, including 'Peacock' and 'Adonis Blue'. Each one is named after a species of butterfly commonly found in the UK, and features particularly large panicles of flowers, carried on bushy and compact plants. The cultivar Marbled White pays homage to the Marbled White butterfly (Melanargia galathea), thanks to its inflorescences of a lovely cream white. It will reach about 1.5 m (5 ft) in height and spread in 4 or 5 years. It produces stout, branched and arching stems that give it an attractive bushy and open habit. It blooms from July to September, producing an abundance of dense panicles of flowers measuring 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) long. These flowers are cream white with orange eyes, and release a sweet fragrance, highly attractive to pollinators. Its ornamental foliage consists of long, soft green leaves, with a greyish down on the underside. The leaves, 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in) long, are pointed and lanceolate. This very hardy bush is resistant to urban pollution and does not suffer from occasional drought in deep soil.

Whether planted individually or in groups, in a hedge, or at the back of a perennial bed, Buddleia davidii Marbled White will enhance the garden. Its white inflorescences complement the flowers of roses in shades of red, orange, or pink, as well as the colourful panicles of summer lilacs. You can also plant it in a small, informal hedge to separate themed areas in the garden. It adapts well to coastal areas and can be grown in large pots. Its fragrant flowers are also beautiful in bouquets. You can pair it with Japanese Spireas, or with tall grasses (Miscanthus, Panicum, Deschampsia) for an elegant contrast.