Buddleja alternifolia – Buddleia Weeping Butterfly Bush, Plant in 9cm Pot

• Buddlia alternifolia – Weeping Butterfly Bush
• Large shrub occasionally small tree
• Strong fragrance
• deciduous
• Hardy

Introduced from China as late as 1915 this is a beautiful and often, in my opinion, underrated shrub. Unlike many of the more common davidii types of Buddleja it flowers in the spring and early summer, so in addition to the mass of beautiful lilac purple, very fragrant flowers, which are wreathed along the gracefully arching branches, it also is highly attractive to butterflies and provides that all important early food source. It is a vigorous plant but can be severely pruned if required and should in any case be pruned annual to encourage more profuse flowering. Unlike its davidii cousins, it flowers on last year’s wood, so pruning must be done immediately after flowering to allow maximum new growth for the following year’s flowers.