Buddleja davidii 'EMPIRE BLUE'

Buddleia is better known as butterfly bush. The reason is obvious – from early summer when it starts blooming until early autumn it produces large, scented flowers that attract winged insects, mostly butterflies. If you are not yet aware of how many butterfly species you can get in your part of the world get one buddleia and in a few weeks you can apply for a doctor’s degree in butterflies!

Empire Blue is a butterfly bush variety bearing rich violet flowers with an orange eye. The inflorescence may look like lilac hence its other name: summer lilac. However, it can get misleading as summer lilac is more often used for lagerstroemia.

Deciduous leaves are lanceolate, pale green to almost blue-green, and slightly hairy. The shrub is upright growing and more compact than older varieties though it does make arching branches when enriched with heavy flowers. We strongly recommend hard pruning every spring to low permanent framework as buds begin to swell.

Butterfly bush requires little care. Plant it in full sun, in well-drained humus-rich soil. It will die in boggy soil after winter. Though hardy to -27°C (USDA zone 5b) it performs better in warmer zones.
We suggest buying older plants with woody framework for planting in colder areas.

Last update 07-01-2013