Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii

Franch. Species

Buddleja davidii
Elliot Greiner via iNaturalist — CC BY 4.0
Buddleja davidii photograph 1 Buddleja davidii photograph 2 Buddleja davidii photograph 3 Buddleja davidii photograph 4 Buddleja davidii photograph 5 Buddleja davidii photograph 6
Botanical name
Buddleja davidii
Also known as
Buddleia, Butterfly Bush, Butterfly-Bush, Orange Eye Butterflybush, Orange-Eye, Orange-Eye Butterfly-Bush, Summer Lilac, Summer-Lilac
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Buddleja
Flowering period
July to September
Height
2.5–4 m
Spread
2.5–4 m
Hardiness
Fully hardy (RHS H6)
Reference
World Flora Online

How to grow Butterfly Bush

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight
Full sun
Watering
Low; drought-tolerant once established
Soil
Any well-drained soil, including rubble and poor chalk
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline

Planting

Plant in autumn or spring in the sunniest, driest spot you have. It needs less feeding and watering than almost anything else you will plant; rich soil produces soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning

Cut hard back every March to a low framework about 30-60 cm from the ground. It flowers on the current season's growth, so this is not optional if you want good spikes rather than a leggy thicket. Deadhead through summer to prolong flowering and cut down on seeding.

Propagation

Hardwood cuttings in autumn or semi-ripe cuttings in summer; both root very easily. Seedlings appear everywhere anyway.

Pests and diseases

Usually trouble-free. Capsid bug damage can distort young shoot tips.

Value to wildlife

Exceptional for adult butterflies and moths in late summer, and heavily worked by bees. It supports nothing at the caterpillar stage, so it is a nectar bar rather than a full habitat plant.

Notes

It seeds prolifically and colonises walls, railways and waste ground - it is a well-known invasive non-native in the UK. Deadheading rigorously before seed sets is the responsible minimum, and consider a sterile or low-seeding cultivar if you are near open countryside or old brickwork.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Buddleja davidii but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Buddleja davidii var. alba Buddleja davidii var. glabrescens Buddleja davidii var. magnifera Buddleja davidii var. nanhoensis Buddleja davidii var. superba Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana Buddleja davidii var. wilsonii Buddleja delavayi var. tomentosa Buddleja heliophila var. adenophora Buddleja shaanxiensis Buddleja shimidzuana Buddleja striata Buddleja striata Buddleja striata var. zhouquensis Buddleja variabilis Buddleja variabilis var. magnifica Buddleja variabilis var. nanhoensis Buddleja variabilis var. prostrata Buddleja variabilis var. superba Buddleja variabilis var. superba Buddleja variabilis var. veitchiana Buddleja variabilis var. veitchiana Buddleja variabilis var. wilsonii Buddleja variabilis var. wilsonii Buddleja veitchiana

Others in Buddleja

Buddleja hatschbachii
Buddleja hieronymi
Buddleja hypsophila
Buddleja ibarrensis
Buddleja incana
Buddleja iresinoides
Buddleja japonica
Buddleja longiflora

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.