BUDDLEJA DAVIDII

Description

Long arching compact sprays hold tightly packed, deeply fragrant, yellow-eyed, purple-mauve flowers. Most attractive to all pollinating insects, but especially butterflies, the wild form was only discovered in the late nineteenth century in central China where it is native to Sichuan and Hubei provinces. It makes a superb hardy shrub that will grow in the most adverse of situations and conditions. It was actually named for the Basque missionary and explorer in China, Father Armand David, who first noticed the shrub, although Jean-André Soulié, a botanist-missionary, sent seed to the French nursery Vilmorin, and Buddleja davidii entered commerce in the 1890s,

Sowing Advice

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and cold-stored for several months. They should be sown into well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered to their own depth with sand or grit. No artificial heat is needed; the seed tray is best left in a cool spot outside and kept moist. Seeds usually germinate in the spring after a chilling in the cold compost, regardless of when they are sown.

Key Facts