Buddleja davidii Royal Red - Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' may be the reddest of all butterfly bushes. Its long inflorescences of sumptuous reddish-purple exude a fragrance that matches their colour: rich and intense, visibly addictive to many butterflies. This flowering enlivens the entire summer, with a vigorous bush displaying a superb spreading habit and beautiful dark green foliage tinged with light green-grey felt. It is easy to grow in ordinary, even poor and occasionally dry soil. Buddlejas, majestic in the background, are often the focal points of large shrub beds and flowering hedges, and rightly so. 

Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family. This superb American cultivar, obtained in 1942, is derived, among others, from the David's buddleja, also known as Father David's buddleja or the Changing Buddleja, a robust Chinese species that has become invasive in our climates. 'Royal Red', always considered the best in the 'red' category, received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1950.

The bush has an open and gracefully spreading habit, supported by arching branches, reaching an average height of 3.5 m (11.5 ft) tall and 4 m (13.1 ft) wide in 7 or 8 years, depending on the growing conditions. It blooms from July to September to produce an abundance of dense 25 cm to 35 cm (9.8 in to 13.8 in) long flower panicles. These flowers are purple-violet with reddish-orange eyes and release a sweet fragrance, highly attractive to pollinating insects. The ornamental foliage of this Butterfly Bush consists of long, dark green leaves, with a lighter grey fuzz on the undersides. The leaves, 15 cm to 25 cm (5.9 in to 9.8 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, at the corner of a terrace, or at the back of a perennial bed, Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' will enhance the garden in a unique way. Its almost red inflorescences fluttering with a constant flight of butterflies are a spectacle in themselves. They also highlight the blue flowers of Ceanothus × delileanus 'Gloire de Versailles', for example, or the mauve and white panicles of certain summer lilacs. You can also plant it in a free hedge, with botanical roses, serviceberries, hawthorns, ornamental apple trees, or other cherry trees. It adapts well to coastal areas and can be grown in containers on a terrace. Its fragrant flowers are also very attractive in bouquets. You can also combine this Butterfly Bush with tall grasses (Miscanthus, Panicum, Deschampsia), for an elegant contrast.