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Buddleja or Buddleia

(Butterfly Bushes)

Buddlejas have a bit of a reputation as being nothing better than weeds! Not without good reason, for they can be quite scruffy! But, as is often the case in life, beneath that scruffy un-cared-for exterior, lies an ever-so-charming garden shrub. It simply needs a bit of care and attention - none of it skilled - in order to redeem itself and claim its rightful place in your garden. I can almost hear your envious visitors now "But ours doesn’t grow like that!"

There are several different types of Buddlejas – not all needing the same treatment. The common ones are those that fall into the category of Butterfly bushes. These are the Buddleja davidii types.


Budleja ‘Lochinch’ has attractive silver foliage as well as the powder blue flowers

The Buddleja davidii types normally start flowering in August and have a wide range of flower colours, which attract many pretty insects including - of course - Butterflies! Most of the Buddlejas have a ‘delicate’ fragrance – especially on a warm summer evening. Bees and other ‘frightening’ insects are quite happy to stay on the flowers – an advantage in fact for it means that they are away from the patio and sitting area! This doesn’t apply to wasps I am afraid, because they are meat eaters, so not too partial to a bit of Buddleja!

The flower panicles on this Buddleja were over 40cm (16in) long. This is achieved by pruning as set out below.

 

To get these spectacular panicles of large flowers on elegant sprays of arching branches, Buddlejas have to be pruned each year. If not, then they will turn into rather undisciplined louts, looking as though they need a good bath and haircut - quite happy to spread their seeds everywhere, with little care about the consequences of their actions! You normally see those types loitering on motorway verges and old building sites!

Given the number of wayward Buddlejas around, it is somewhat surprising as to how little is needed to bring them back into the fold of civilisation as we would like to know it!
Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion'


Buddlejah davidii ‘Royal Red'’

There is no special skill required to keep your Buddleja in order, just a little bit of a hack-back in early spring! You can also prolong the flowering period by several weeks by snipping off the faded flower heads. This has the added attraction of preventing them from setting seed in your dry-stone wall, or anywhere else they take a fancy to.

If you are starting with an old neglected bush, then you will need a saw as well as a good pair of long-handled loppers and your favourite secateurs. The latter are only needed to clear the way of smaller branches in order that you can get down to business with the saw! It might be a good idea to wear a pair of gloves, for Buddleja pruning can spoil otherwise soft and gentle hands, as some of the stems will be quite brittle!

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