Buddleia (Butterfly tree)
Buddleia (Butterfly tree): Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Buddleia, often called butterfly bush, belongs to the botanical genus Buddleja in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. The name covers several shrub species and hybrids with different outlines and flowering patterns. Buddleja davidii, native to China, is one of the best-known garden examples. It represents the large summer flower clusters often associated with buddleia, but the genus includes other distinctive forms.Branches may grow upright before arching, or create a broadly weeping silhouette. Leaves are simple and usually opposite; in B. alternifolia, they are alternate and narrow. Those of B. davidii often have a greyish, softly hairy underside, whereas B. globosa has darker foliage with prominent veins. Depending on species and climate, leaves may fall seasonally or remain partly evergreen. These differences affect the shrub's appearance outside its main flowering period.The flower clusters contain small tubular flowers, fragrant in many forms. In B. davidii, they form elongated panicles in white, pink, lilac…
