Buddleja davidii 'SUMMER BIRD Blue' butterfly bush, buddleja
size/type
small shrub,small shrub
usual height
0,4-0,5m
usual width
0,4-0,6m
leaves
deciduous broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
showy
colour of flowers
blooming time
July-October
location
full sun
soil type
acidic (peaty)
soil moisture requirements
evenly moist (dislikes drought)
USDA zone (lowest)
5 (down to -29°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
Buddleja 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. Old varieties are commonly large shrubs, however, there are many modern plants that are bred for smaller and compact growth. SUMMER BIRD is a series first introduced in 2017 which offers truly dwarf and compact varieties.
Description of the plant:
SUMMER BIRD Blue is a small butterfly bush producing possibly the largest flowers of all SUMMER BIRD series. The purple blue panicles are about 12-14 cm long and quite fat - some 5-6 cm wide, and appear from mid July until autumn if you regularly deadhead spent flowers. Individual flowers are tubular, sweetly fragrant, and have an orange throat. Deciduous leaves are rather small, narrowly elliptic, serrated at margins, and medium to light green with blue green hues.Butterfly bush requires little care. Still, we strongly recommend hard pruning every spring to low permanent framework when buds begin to swell. Plant it in full sun, in well-drained humus-rich soil. It will die in boggy soil after winter. Though hardy to -29°C (USDA zone 5) it performs better in warmer zones. We suggest buying older plants with woody framework for planting in colder areas.
Last update 07-10-2019
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