Buddleia davidii

Plant Image Data Base

Buddleia davidii

Butterfly Bush, Butterfly-bush, or Summer Lilac

(Loganiaceae - Logania Family)

Form

medium-sized to large-sized shrub
maturing at about 8' tall by 8' wide or even larger (if never pruned) in its southern range, but often dying back close to the ground in most Winters in its northern range (and often achieving a 5' tall by 5' wide status by season's end)
upright rounded (but very open) growth habit
rapid growth rate

Culture

full sun to partial sun
performs best in full sun in moist, well-drained, fertile soils, but is very adaptable to poor soils, dry soils, and soils of various pH, and is tolerant of heat, drought, and high humidity
propagated by seeds or rooted stem cuttings
Logania Family, with few diseases or pests of ornamental significance
abundantly available in container form
in northern climates and even in many southern climates, it looks and performs best if pruned back hard in early Spring for rejuvenation and vigor (it blooms on new wood), and also to lightly shear the vigorous new growth in mid-June (before the initial flowers emerge), to promote a more dense and compact form at flowering, instead of the open and gangly growth habit that will be evident by season's end

Foliage

emerging late in Spring and maturing to medium green, gray-green, or dark green (depending upon cultivar); glabrous above, but white-tomentose beneath
leaves are opposite, ovate to lanceolate, serrated, with a short petiole and acuminate apex
fall color is green and holding late, then either abscising or remaining as semi-persistent green or brown foliage into the Winter

Flowers

purple, light blue, lavender, reddish-lavendar, pink, white, or golden-yellow miniature flowers with orange throats occur densely along a cylindrical to narrow pyramidal, often nodding inflorescence at each stem tip, generally about 6" to 10" long
fragrant blooms occur heavily from July through August, and continue abundantly until frost if deadheading occurs (or sporadically if deadheading does not occur), and attracting many bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds

Fruits

compound fruiting stalk of two-valved capsules is not ornamental, but is a good Winter identification feature
best to dead-head the immature fruiting stalks throughout the Summer, to promote continuous flowering and prevent self-sowing

ID Summary

foliage emerges late and has a silvery-white underside below the gray green, medium-green, or dark green upper sides of the lanceolate opposite leaves, with white tomentose stems that are sparsely branched, herbaceous to semi-woody, and give rise to elongated, narrow-pyramidal, slightly drooping, long inflorescences that are fragrant, generally in the cooler color range (with orange centers to the miniature flowers), and bloom all Summer and in early Autumn, attracting many bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies

Function

specimen flowering shrub that doubles as a butterfly/hummingbird attractant, often found in group plantings in island beds, at foundations, or at borders

Texture

Assets

inflorescences are fragrant, attract many butterflies and hummingbirds, and occur from July until frost
vigorous growth responds well to early Spring rejuvenation pruning
flowering occurs on new wood (the current season's growth)
tolerant of heat, humidity, drought, and average or poor soils

Liabilities

dies nearly to the ground almost every Winter in its northern range, needing annual pruning to remove the dead wood
marginally root-hardy in severe zone 5 Winters
may self-sow in exposed soils, especially in its southern range

Habitat

Variants

many cultivars and varieties are available and are being continuously introduced and withdrawn from commerce, based upon the color, size, and fragrance of the inflorescences, as well as the compactness of the mature shrubs
the "Nanho Series" and the "Petite Series" are known for their compactness, generally advertised as being about 5' tall and 5' wide at maturity, and come in a range of the cooler floral colors

Purpose

Butterfly Bush is the best Summer-long flowering shrub that is noted for both its showy fragrant inflorescences and their subsequent wildlife attraction.

Summary

Buddleia davidii is known as a profuse Summer-flowering shrub whose fragrant flowers attract many butterflies and hummingbirds.