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ShrubsConservatory Greenhouse

Buddleja speciosissima

Vigorous, deciduous shrub, evergreen in warm climates and rare in cultivation, about 2-3m tall, with elongated mid-green leaves, the stems and leaves covered in felty, white-wooly indumentum. Felty bright orange-red flowers with long tubes to 2-3cm long are produced in panicles to 20cm long in summer

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Scrophulariaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous or Semi evergreen
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Buddleja can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs, occasionally trees or scrambling climbers with simple leaves and panicles of small, tubular fragrant flowers
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Suited to southern counties and innner city microclimates only where it can be grown in well-drained soil in full sun. with shelter from cold winds, can be trained on a warm sheltered wall. Ideal for a large conservatory or greenhouse. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or by hardwood cuttings in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Sub-tropical
Mediterranean climate plants
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Pruning group 6 or Pruning group 13 for wall-trained plants

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, capsid bugs, caterpillars, earwigs, figwort weevils, glasshouse red spider mite, leaf and bud eelworm, and mullein moth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus, fungal leaf spot, and virus diseases

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