Top Ten Buddlejas

If you want a shrub with beautiful flowers that attracts bountiful butterflies choose the butterfly bush, says Graham Rice

- Graham Rice

BUDDLEJAS (Buddleja davidii) have been garden essentials for more than 100 years. Introduced from Tibet in 1869, by the early years of the 20th century they were widely grown and many varieties were named. This was facilitated by the fact that buddlejas produce a great many seeds - but this has also caused problems.

These are deciduous shrubs, losing most of their sometimes greyish leaves at the end of the season but often opening a few small, winter leaves at the leaf joints. Easily recognised by their long, cone-shaped heads of small flowers at the tips of the branches in summer, the fragrance is often strong and the flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts a range of butterflies and other insects. Buddlejas are such favourites with butterflies that they are universally known as butterfly bush.

Buddlejas in the garden

For spectacular summer flowering, buddlejas are essential. These resilient and adaptable summer sun-lovers develop their colourful spikes of flowers at the tips of new branches - for many weeks, and for months if the old flowers are snipped off as they turn brown.

The flower colours range from deep violet and purple, though a wide range of rich reddish shades plus many lilacs and pinks to white. Each tiny floret in the spike has an orange throat.

Flowering height depends on the variety and how they are pruned. Some varieties are neat and compact, others mature to a larger size. Unpruned plants can develop into tall, arching specimens 10-16%2ft (3-5m) in height but, when pruned annually, 3-6%2ft (1-2m) may be the maximum, depending on the variety.

These are some of our most valuable garden shrubs and, when sited at the back of mixed borders fronted by perennials or shorter shrubs, they make an impressive impact.

Buddlejas escape from gardens