Here at our garden centre in West Sussex we love plants that encourage wildlife, butterflies being one of our favourites, helping add even more colour to gardens. Buddleja also is known as the ‘Butterfly Bush’ – with good reason – butterflies, bees and other insects absolutely love these plants! With their panicles of small, delicate flowers, they are a delightful addition to any garden, particularly during the summer months, when many shrubs have finished flowering. If you don’t have herbaceous or bedding plants in your garden, then buddleja varieties are a worthy consideration.
Their flowers come in a variety of colours, which include shades of pink, blue, purple and white. They are easy to grow and will grow in almost any position, but will attract more bees and butterflies if they are planted in full sun.
Buddleja varieties can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs and can be trained to grow as a tree if desired.
At Arundel Arboretum Garden Centre in West Sussex, we have a good selection of Buddleja to choose from. With many to fit your garden an here are some you may like to consider:
Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion’
Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion’ is a large, deciduous buddleja. Its arching branches are adorned with stunning, pure white flowers during the summer months. The scented flowers have yellow eyes. This buddleja will grow happily in full sun or partial shade in an exposed or sheltered position. It has an eventual height and spread of between 2.5-4m. Can take a hard prune in the spring.
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ is another large, deciduous buddleja. This variety has rich, purple-red scented flowers during the summer months. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade, in an exposed or sheltered position. It has an eventual height and spread of 2.5-4m. Prune hard in the spring for excellent flowers in the summer.
Buddleja ‘Pink Delight’
Buddleja ‘Pink Delight’ is a medium-sized, deciduous variety of buddleja. Large, bright pink panicles of flowers with orange eyes appear in the summer months. The silvery foliage will over the summer change to a pale green. Plant in full sun or partial shade in a sheltered position. Buddleja ‘Pink Delight’ has an eventual height and spread of 2.5-4m. Prune in the spring.
Buddleja alternifolia ‘Unique’
Buddleja alternifolia ‘Unique’ is a small, compact variety of buddleja, so if space is an issue, then this variety is well worth considering. It has prolific clusters of lilac flowers during the summer months, which look very attractive against its silver-green foliage. The fragrant flowers do not produce pollen, but it does produce nectar so will still attract butterflies. It has an eventual height of 1m, so can even be kept in a large container. Relatively easy to look after, it will only require a light prune in the spring. This will encourage better flowers for the ensuing season.
Buddleja davidii ‘Buzz Sky Blue’
As the name suggests, this Buddleja produces masses of blue flowers during the summer months. This variety is also good to grow in containers if space is of a premium. It has an eventual height and spread of 1.2m. Buddleja davidii ‘Buzz Sky Blue’ is renowned for attracting butterflies, bees and other insects. It has nectar and pollen-rich flowers, and its seeds are an ideal food for the birds. This variety will grow happily in full sun and partial shade.
If you are considering planting a buddleja in your garden and need some advice on which one to choose, why not pop into our garden centre in West Sussex? A member of our knowledgeable team will be more than happy to help you and show you our beautiful range.
