Flowering Shrubs: Butterfly Bush or Buddleia (Buddleja davidii)

The Butterfly Bush is a woody shrub that can become somewhat rangy unless it is pruned back occasionally. It comes in several flower colours consisting of white, pink, and purple, and is a primary shrub in hummingbird and butterfly gardens. The tiny flowers are borne on long, arching branches, with some flower spikes up to 50cm long.

The butterfly bush is fairly drought tolerant and often retains some foliage in winter. This flowering shrub blooms in mid-summer to early autumn, ideally in alkaline soil, and exposed to full sunlight. Be warned that cold winters may kill Butterfly bushes as they must receive at least 8 hours of sunlight per day.

The Butterfly Bush's clusters of beautiful, tubular-shaped flowers add charm and abundance to any setting, whether used as a focal point or as a border feature.

Buddleia, as the flowering Butterfly Bush shrub is sometimes called, can be planted outdoors in spring or autumn in regular garden soil mixed with manure, and pruned hard in early spring. Do not prune the butterfly bush later than this.

To propagate buddleia or butterfly bushes, sow the shrubs seeds thinly or insert mature-shoot cuttings into a sheltered border outside.