Butterfly Bush

Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii

Buddlejaceae

▲ ▼ mature, flowering shrubs in Powell Gardens

▲ flowers

▲ ▼ flowers

Location on campus: in small garden area north of Meyer Library and south of Kings Street Annex

Buddleia davidii: Butterfly-bush, Summer Lilac

• leaves deciduous, opposite, simple, lanceolate with slightly serrated margins; dark green above and white pubescent below; leaves 4-10" long and 1-3" wide
• stems are gray to tan, 4-angled, pubescent
• flowers are in terminal and axillary panicles in shades of white, lavender, pink and dark purple; blooms starting in late spring through frost; somewhat fragrant and very attractive to butterflies
• has a rounded growth habit to 10-15' high and wide; but often best to cut back to ground annually for good flowering and a more attractive shrub
• likes full sun and moist, well-drained fertile soils, but can reseed and become almost weedy, so not too particular
• fast growth rate (5-8' tall each year), but should be cut back to the ground annually