Which Butterfly Tree to Choose?
Very floriferous shrubs
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Not easy to find your way among the many varieties of Buddlejas or butterfly bushes, best known being Buddleja davidii, which comes in many cultivars.
Choosing the right Buddleja depends on height, flower colour — white, lilac, pink, bicoloured or yellow — and on intended location: border, flowering hedge, rockery or in a container on a sunny terrace.
Undemanding and very ornamental, happy in all gardens, its wild habit and exuberant flowering work wonders in naturalistic areas. High resistance to heavy pollution makes it indispensable in urban gardens.
Buddleja davidii, B. alternifolia Buddleia globosa, Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleia Lochinch, from most common to most surprising, you will surely find a butterfly tree to suit you among the numerous varieties, including some rare ones we offer.
Buddleia davidii: a garden classic
Buddleja davidii forms a lovely fragrant, elegant bush, remarkably floriferous all summer.
Le Buddleja davidii or David’s buddleia est le plus connu et le plus courant de tous.
With its slightly rakish silhouette and wild appearance, Buddleia davidii is perfectly suited to wild hedgerows and natural-style gardens.
Its scented, melliferous flowers continually attract butterflies, contributing to the enchanting display and also looking lovely in bouquets. It grows so easily across France, colonising any waste ground it finds, which earned it the nickname motorway verge tree!
This generous shrub deserves to be seen beyond this cliché and its reputation as an invader. Some sterile varieties that have the advantage of not spreading now exist. David’s buddleia has given rise to many cultivars and hybrids such as ‘White Ball’, ‘Summer Beauty’, ‘Blue Chip’…
It flowers from July to September–October and bears abundant panicles of flowers 30–40 cm long, lilac or white for wild buddlejas, and intense blue, violet, pink or crimson for garden varieties. It thrives in full sun and is content with all well-drained soils, even poor ones, requires little or no watering, making it a must-have shrub for low-maintenance gardens, weekend gardens and scented gardens.
Place in groups or singly, at the back of shrub borders and in informal hedges. It pairs well with all sorts of shrubs, such as Ceanothus and Althaea which flower at the same time, but you can also combine it with other buddlejas for a blue colour scheme.
Alongside the large forms, there are dwarf buddlejas not exceeding 1.20 m at maturity, perfect for flowering small spaces or a sunny terrace or balcony.
Our favourite Buddleia davidii varieties
Buddleja davidii Nanho Blue - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Buddleia davidii Black Knight - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia davidii Summer Beauty - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
Size choice: large or dwarf?
Choice is wide within the Buddleia family, and can be guided by size depending on intended location.
- Allow space for the largest forms: with their rapid growth they will very quickly form green screens, easily exceeding 5 m in height at maturity and nearly as much in width. Large Buddleias work wonders in dense flowering hedges or as a backdrop to shrub borders.
- Dwarf forms, not exceeding 1.5 m at maturity, are perfect in containers to brighten small spaces and sunny terraces. You can also plant them in a small informal hedge to create a separation between two themed areas in the garden.
Among butterfly bushes, size varies by species from 90 cm up to 6 m in height:
- Largest (4 to 6 m): Buddleia globosa, Buddleia auriculata, Buddleja colvilei
- Medium-sized (around 4 m): Buddleja macrostachya, Buddleja alternifolia or Buddleia with alternate leaves
- Small (1.5 to 3 m): Buddleja x weyeriana, Buddleja davidii, Buddleia Lochinch, Buddleja crispa
Our favourite large Buddleias
Buddleja colvilei - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 4 m
Buddleja alternifolia - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July, August
- Height at maturity 3 m
Our favourite dwarf butterfly trees
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 60 cm
Discover other Buddleja -Butterfly bush
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Varieties in all colours
From June to September–October, the branches of Butterfly bushes become abundantly covered with beautiful terminal panicles of small flowers in a range of colours from midnight blue, lilac blue, to lily-pink or intense purple, deep violet through to golden yellow. Combine varieties to create colourful, floriferous shrubs and stagger flowering throughout summer!
Buddleia davidii Adonis Blue - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja Blue Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 1 m
Buddleja Lochinch - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia davidii Pink Delight - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleia Miss Ruby - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Buddleja davidii White Ball White - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja Silver Anniversary - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Buddleja x weyeriana Sungold
- Flowering time September to November
- Height at maturity 3 m
For a flowering hedge
Most Buddleias are particularly effective when planted in groups, in informal country-style hedges, alongside laurustinus, photinias, Ceanothus (California lilac), weigelias, Althaeas, viburnums, lavateras and even English or old-fashioned roses.
Fast-growing, with a silhouette both elegant and unconventional, they quickly form screens of vegetation easily exceeding 5 m in height within 5 to 6 years. Ideal for creating an instant garden! Plant in a sunny spot, sheltered from strong winds.
Their decorative green foliage sometimes takes, depending on variety, a grey-green tone on the upper surface and is almost white beneath during summer. Some even have variegated foliage.
For a striking effect, don’t hesitate to group different varieties — this will stagger flowering times and allow you to enjoy their generous panicles of mauve-pink, bright pink, white, blue or orange-yellow from June to October. Range of colours lends itself to bold contrasts or pretty tonal harmonies of blues or pinks.
Best Buddleias for hedging
Buddleja Flower Power - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2 m
Buddleia davidii Masquerade - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 2,50 m
In a container on a sunny terrace
Some Buddleias not exceeding 1.20 m in any direction are perfectly suited to cultivation in pots or large containers. These compact versions of the taller forms share the advantage of a very long summer flowering, from June to October; their pleasant scent attracts many butterflies. They require a little more attention than their conventional in-ground counterparts: fertiliser to promote flowering and regular watering, especially in summer.
Essential dwarf varieties
Buddleja davidii Lilac Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August, September
- Height at maturity 70 cm
Buddleja davidii White Ball - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to October
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Non-invasive buddleias
Les Buddleia seeds disperse readily. For these reasons, this shrub has a serious reputation for invasiveness and is considered invasive in Europe and in parts of France. While regular pruning and removing faded flowers as they appear can limit spread, recent selections offer sterile varieties that do not spread. A real advantage for small spaces or when wanting to control spontaneous sowings.
Our favourites
Buddleia White Chip - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 60 cm
Buddleja alternifolia Unique - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,20 m
Most original butterfly trees
Alongside the classic Buddleja davidii, some butterfly bush varieties stand out for the originality of their inflorescences.
Buddleja macrostachya - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time June to October
- Height at maturity 3 m
Buddleja colvilei - Butterfly Bush
- Flowering time August to October
- Height at maturity 4 m
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