Buddleja davidii 'NANHO BLUE' butterfly bush, buddleja

Nanho Blue is one of three varieties of butterfly bush from the small Nanho series, which also includes the varieties Nanho Purple and Nanho White. It bears lavender-violet flowers and can be easily distinguished from other varieties by its significantly narrower leaves, giving it an airy appearance in the landscape. The individual flowers are small, tubular, have an orange throat, and are arranged in dense clusters 15-30 cm long. They bloom from the end of June to September and have a pleasant, though not very strong fragrance. They may even resemble lilacs, which is why the shrub is sometimes nicknamed the "summer lilac," although this name is misleading as it is used for Lagerstroemia.

The deciduous leaves are narrowly lanceolate, opposite, finely hairy, medium green on the upper side, and silvery underneath. The shrub grows relatively fast, forming dense shrubs with arching branches and an overall height and width of around 1.5 meters. It is recommended to prune it back to a strong framework each spring by removing up to 80% of the previous year's branches when the buds begin to swell. It regrows reliably and quickly, and such rejuvenation will result in a nice shrub with lush foliage, abundantly flowering over a long period. The flowering time and number of flowers can be enhanced by regular deadheading to prevent it from making seeds.

Butterfly bush is not demanding to grow. It needs to be planted in full sun in moderately fertile, well-drained soil, as it could rot in winter if kept too wet. It is hardy to approximately -29 °C (USDA zone 5), but it does better in warmer regions. In colder regions, plant older specimens with matured wood. Though, Nanho Blue was tested in cooler areas of Canada and has demonstrated hardiness down to -32°C as a perennial, able to regenerate from the base each year and bloom in a good summer.

Last update 13-12-2024