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Scrophulariaceae FAMILY

Buddleja davidii

Buddleja davidii

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Shrub
GrowthFast

Buddleja davidii is hardy, tolerating occasional temperatures down to about -15°c[1]. Plants will often resprout from the base if cut back by cold weather[2]. Requires a sunny position[3, 4]. Prefers a rich loamy well-drained soil[3, 2]. Very tolerant of alkaline soils, atmospheric pollution and maritime exposure[2]. Grows best on dry soils of low fertility, where it can seed itself freely[4]. Succeeds in soils with a pH ranging from 6 - 8.9[5]. A very ornamental and fast-growing plant[6, 5], it hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. A polymorphic species, there are many named varieties, developed for their ornamental value[4]. The flowers emit a musk-like fragrance like heather honey[7]. Plants flower mainly on the current years growth so a hard pruning in spring will encourage better flowering[2]. An excellent plant for bees and butterflies[8].

Propagation

Seed - cold stratify for 4 weeks at 4°c[9] and surface sow the seed in late winter/early spring in a greenhouse[10, 11]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 4 weeks at 21°c[9]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Seedlings are inclined to damp off and so should be watered with care and kept well-ventilated[10]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[3, 11]. Use short side-shoots[10]. Very high percentage[11]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm long, autumn in a frame[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Buddleja+davidii>

Pollinators

Bees, Lepidoptera

References

  1. [1]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  4. [4]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  5. [5]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  8. [8]Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. — Carter D. · Pan · 1982 · ISBN 0-330-26642-x ↩︎An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
  9. [9]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  10. [10]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  11. [11]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  13. [13]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  14. [14]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.