Budleja Dawidais an extremely beautiful shrub that is relatively easy to grow and care for. It delights with gorgeous flowers in shades of purple and pink, which often attract butterflies. That is why the name of the butterfly bush stuck to it. Learn more about thebudlei care secretsand the most interestingDavid budlei varietiesHere's everything you need to know about growing budlei!
Budleja Dawida - Buddleja davidii
The genus budleja includes about 100 species, shrubs and even small trees, occurring mainly in warm areas of East Asia, South America and South Africa.In our country, only 2 species are cultivated with their varieties, the most popular of which is David's budleja (Buddleja davidii).
Budleja Dawida - butterfly bush
David's Budleja occurs naturally in China. It is afast-growing shrub, reaching up to 3-4 m in height and branching widelyThe shoots bend arched under the weight of the inflorescences. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, dark green on the underside with a whitish and felt hair. Most of the leaves fall off in autumn.
Budlei flowers come in various shades, mostly purple and pinkThe shape resembles the flowers of the common lilac (popularly called lilac). The flowers are gathered in long inflorescences, placed on the tops of one-year (this year's) shoots.A characteristic feature of budlei flowers is their smell- very sweet and intense. Due to their fragrance, the budlei flowers are inhabited by butterflies, which collect nectar from them.Hence another namebutterflies bush
Budleja blooms from July to the end of OctoberIt is worth knowing that young bushes bloom later than older ones, but but they keep the flowers longer.David's Budleja is suitable for plantingboth in groups and individually.
Budleja Dawida - cultivation and care
The cultivation of budlei is best doneon permeable, fairly fertile and moderately moist soils. The pH of the soil should be neutral or alkaline. It reacts positively to the content of calcium carbonate in the soil. It prefers warm and sunny positions, as well as sheltered from winds. That is why it grows well next to the southern walls of houses.
Budleja Dawida is sensitive to frostand should be tightly covered before winter. It does well in an urban environment because it is immune to air pollution. Sobudleja Dawida is a great plant for a garden in the city
Planting David's budlei
We plant David's bud in the spring. It is best to plant one- or two-year-old plants. Older ones do not get on well, because those dug out from the nursery usually have a damaged root system. Thereforeit is best to buy budlei seedlings incontainers, where you can be sure that the root system is intact. The plant is planted at the same depth as it was growing in the container, and the soil underneath it is mulched.
Budleja Dawida - butterflies often sit on budlei flowers.
David's budlea care
In summer, the soil under the bushes should be shallowly loosened because the plant is sensitive to the lack of air. The mulching of the soil around the budlei with a thin layer of mulch material also gives beneficial effects. You can use mulching materials such as pine bark, deacidified peat, leaves or sawdust. This will prevent soil infestation and heat loss.
Inbudlei care, watering is also important Remember to water the plants during drought, which will help keep the flowers longer and bloom more profusely. After flowering, cut the inflorescences and feed the plant with compound fertilizer for flowering plants.
As previously mentioned,budleja is sensitive to frost and should be well covered for winter , covering lower shoots with leaves or a mound of compost, and the whole plant with white agrotextile. In warm and sheltered positions, it is enough to protect only the root ball and the base of the plant by making a mound. If the shoots freeze, they are cut in spring, leaving only the he althy ones.Budleja regenerates very quickly
Trimming David's budlei
Budley can be trimmed in spring, but only when we are sure that there will be no more severe frosts. It is even worth delaying the cutting a bit so as not to expose the plant to frost. In practice, cutting budlei is usually done in the second half of March or April.Cut the butterfly bush to half its height , but not lower than 1 m from the ground.Very old shoots are cut 10 cm above the ground, young shoots will grow from them very quickly.
David's budlei varieties
The most beautifulvarieties of David's budleiare:
Black Night - a variety of budlei with very dark purple, almost black flowers, reaching 2-3 meters in height.
Empire Blue - this variety has purple-blue flowers.
Ile de France - one of the most popular varieties with purple flowers, grows up to 2.5 m in height.
Pink Delight - budleje of this variety are pink-flowering shrubs, the inflorescences are up to 40 cm long, grows strongly, reaching up to 3 m in height.
Royal Red - flowers of an interesting red-purple color, a shrub of medium height up to about 2m.
Santana - flowers similar to the Royal Red variety, colorful leaves (light yellow edged), grows up to 1.5 m in height.
White Bouquet and Whte Profusion are two varieties with white flowers.
Blue Chip - a new variety with light purple flowers and short stature (approx. 80 cm). Thanks to these qualities, it is quickly gaining popularity.
Nanho Blue - a variety with almost pure blue flowers, grows up to 1.5 m in height.
Nanho Purple - in thisvariety of David's budleithe flowers are purple, the shrub reaches a height of only 1.2 m
Katarzyna Matuszak
