Buddleja macrostachya![RHS Plants for pollinators](/assets/styles/images/icons/RHS_Bee_YELLOW-REGISTERED.png)
![RHS Plants for pollinators](/assets/styles/images/icons/RHS_Bee_YELLOW-REGISTERED.png)
large-spiked butterfly bush
A bushy, deciduous shrub, up to 2m tall with lance-shaped, dark green leaves. The panicles of pink or purple flowers have cream and orange centres as they open. Needs a hot summer for singificant flowering, best planted in a sheltered sunny position.
![](https://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselectorimages/detail/vaem12918.jpg)
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Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metresTime to ultimate height
5–10 yearsUltimate spread
1.5–2.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Neutral, Alkaline, AcidColour & scent
Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
Spring | Green | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer | Purple Pink | Green | ||
Autumn | Green | |||
Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H4Botanical details
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- 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
Grow in well-drained soil in full sun. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice
Propagation
Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn, or by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Wildlife gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- City and courtyard gardens
- Coastal
- Flower borders and beds
Pruning
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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