Buddleja davidii Pink Panther - Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii Pink Panther 'RutBu2016' is a new variety of butterfly bush that will undoubtedly attract attention in the garden and make a big impact in a large container on a terrace or balcony. From July to October, this medium-sized bush is covered in a multitude of large panicles filled with fresh and vibrant pink flowers, which entice masses of butterflies. The blooms form until autumn if the bush is pruned after each wave of flowers. A pretty, hardy, vigorous, and easy to grow selection.

Buddleja davidii Pink Panther was recently selected in France by Pierre Rutten, and presented to horticulture professionals at the Plantarium in Boskoop in 2019. It is a rather compact variety but of good vigour, with a bushy habit and slightly arched branches. Belonging to the Scrophulariaceae (Buddlejaceae) family, this bush is derived from Buddleja davidii, also known as Father David's Buddleja or Changing Buddleja, a robust Chinese species.

Pink Panther will reach a height of approximately 1.5 m (4.9 ft) with a similar spread in the space of 3 or 4 years. It produces rather upright branches, adorned with slightly fuzzy green-grey-silver young shoots unfolding into green-grey leaves, lighter on the underside. The leaves, 12 cm to 20 cm (4.7 in to 7.9 in) long, are pointed and lanceolate in shape. This deciduous foliage falls in winter, except in mild climates. This variety blooms from June-July to October if branches carrying faded inflorescences are pruned. The flower panicles are abundant, wide, and very dense. The flowers are a vibrant pink colour with a small orange eye and release a sweet fragrance reminiscent of honey, highly sought after by pollinating insects: they contain substances collected by pollinating insects that will transform them into honey. This hardy bush is resistant to urban pollution and does not suffer from occasional drought in deep soil. When grown in containers, it will require frequent watering and regular fertilisation.

Whether planted alone or in a group, at the corner of the house, in a flowering hedge or at the back of a perennial bed, Buddleja davidii Pink Panther will bring life to the garden throughout the summer and into early autumn. You can plant it in a mixed hedge, alongside lilacs, chaste trees, hawthorns, barberries, flowering apple trees, Poncirus, deciduous euonymus, and mock oranges. It adapts well to coastal areas and thrives in any good garden soil. Its pleasantly fragrant flowers are also very pretty in bouquets.