Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red'

butterfly bush (syn. buddleia)

Eventual height & spread

Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red'

butterfly bush (syn. buddleia)

  • 2 litre pot
  • £19.54 £22.99
  • available to order from autumn
  • 3 × 2 litre pots
  • £45.04 £52.99 £15.01 each
  • available to order from autumn
  • 10 litre pot | 80 - 100cm tall
  • £69.99
  • available to order from autumn
Delivery options
  • Standard £5.99
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
  • Rate of growth: fast
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Hardiness: fully hardy


Clusters of fragrant, red/purple flowers, which are very attractive to butterflies, top the gently arching branches of Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' from midsummer. Noted for producing some of the largest blooms currently available, if this butterfly bush is pruned hard each spring, the honey-scented flowerspikes can grow up to an impressive 50cm (20in) long.

The mid- to grey-green leaves will turn butter-yellow in autumn before they fall, and this coupled with the showy flowers, makes it a fine specimen for a sunny position. Deadheading the buddleja will encourage it to produce more flowers and stop any unwanted seedlings.


  • Garden care:
    Plant out as soon conditions allow, avoiding frozen or waterlogged soil. Incorporate well-rotted manure or garden compost and perhaps some mycorrhizal fungi into the soil when planting.

    Keep well-watered during warm weather until the plant has settled in fully, and once the plant has become established, prune it hard each year in March, cutting all of the previous year's growth back to within two to four buds from the base.
  • Goes well with