Buddleja (butterfly bush)
Buddleja davidii
A huge old buddleja in the far corner. It was already a big plant when we moved in over a decade and a half ago, and it's been pruned hard and allowed to regrow ever since.
It's wonderful for small birds and insects: the bird feeder hangs in it, and the long flower spikes are a magnet for butterflies and bees (including the chimney colony). The hacked-back branches go onto the brash pile each winter.
Prune hard in early spring (down to a low framework) and it'll bounce straight back.
- Common name
- Buddleja (butterfly bush)
- Section
- Trees & shrubs
- Spot
- Garden (far corner)
- Soil
- Garden soil
- Options
Potential
A flowering garden shrub for a pollinator border. Container suitability depends on whether this is a compact cultivar.
- From
- Came with the house (it was here before we moved in)
- Age
- Over 16 years (it came with the house)
- Next repot
- Not needed: it's in the ground
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating.
- Hardy
- ✅ Fully
- Garden-centre price
- about £60
Did you know?
It colonised London's bomb sites after the Second World War.
Care & updates
- What to expect
- Dies back or rests over winter and comes back strong in spring, flowering through summer. Flowers Jul–Sep.
No updates yet.
🎮
A whole game about rescuing little birds. The buddleja approves.
Look it up →