Buddleja davidii is a vigorous shrub with an arching habit, growing to 5 m (16 ft) in height. The pale grey-brown bark becomes flaky to deeply fissured with age. The branches are quadrangular in section, the younger shoots and leaves covered in a dense indumentum.
Buddleja davidii, commonly called butterfly bush, is a deciduous shrub that is native to thickets on mountain slopes, limestone outcrops, forest clearings and rocky stream banks in China. The classic summer-flowering buddleja or butterfly bush (B. davidii) is easy to grow in a sunny spot and just needs some annual pruning to look good. There are a few buddlejas that need sheltered conditions to thrive, so in this guide we explain what to grow where and how care for them.
buddleja davidii, Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) is a fast growing shrub prized for long summer flower panicles that attract butterflies. It prefers full sun and well drained soil and can self seed in some regions. Buddleja davidii is, for most people, the most familiar species in the genus, both as a selectively-bred garden ornamental and as a feral non-native and potentially invasive shrub in many temperate regions. Buddleja ‘Davidii’ is known for attracting bees, birds, butterflies/moths and other pollinators. It is a caterpillar food plant, has nectar/pollen rich flowers, provides shelter and habitat and has seeds for birds.
buddleja davidii, Butterfly bush (buddleia davidii) is a magnet to pollinators, but it can be invasive if not controlled. Learn how to effectively manage this plant. Also called “summer lilacs,” butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. Growing 5 to 10 feet tall, this large, arching shrub produces an abundance of flowers—long, spiked trusses—in mainly purple and pink colors.
