Buddleja davidii 'MARBLED WHITE'

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!

Marbled White is an English variety of butterfly bush bred by Elizabeth Keep for a very compact growth. It has white flowers from midsummer until late September if the weather is sunny and warm. 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, slightly hairy, emerge silvery grey and mature to dark green with silvery reverse. 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 05-09-2014