There are many varieties and colours beyond the feral bush of our cities and railway lines
The ubiquitous butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii, so fond of the cracks in our concrete world, is familiar to all, particularly those that flutter. There is, however, a world beyond the feral bush of our cities and railway lines: those with deeply scented flower spikes in pinks, deep purples, bicolours and purest whites; those that tower as tall shrubs; and those that are happy to stay small enough to live in a pot on a patio.
The place to go and see them is in the national collection at Longstock Gardens in Hampshire. If you are passing, it is well worth dropping in to peruse the many colour variations. They are laid out in a rather splendid walled garden and there will be something in flower right into October, thanks to dedicated deadheading. If you are thinking that buddleia’s pretty spires are long gone by now, then that is the secret: when roughly half the flower spike starts to brown, remove it and this will spur the plant into producing more. Once the seed starts to set, the plant considers its job done for the summer and concentrates on producing as many babies as it can for you to weed out. If you can keep on top of deadheading, you’ll have flowers well into early autumn.
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