Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy Lila Sweetheart - Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii Butterfly Candy® Lila Sweetheart ('Botex002') is a new selection of a dwarf butterfly bush, notable for its compact habit and long attractive flowering throughout the summer, accompanied by a sweet and light fragrance. With its elegant and balanced silhouette, this variety is well-suited for gardens with limited space, as well as container cultivation on balconies or terraces. Ideal for biodiversity, Lila Sweetheart adds to the series of Butterfly Candy which includes five other colours: Ruby, Pink, Lila, Purple, and White.

The genus Buddleja comprises around a hundred species of deciduous or evergreen shrubs, native to China, Africa, South Asia, and South America. They are named after Adam Buddle, a famous English botanist of the 17th century. This genus is sometimes spelled 'Buddleia', but the official spelling seems to be 'Buddleja'.

Belonging to the Scrophulariaceae (Buddlejaceae) family, Lila Sweetheart is a hybrid, recently selected in the Netherlands by Botanic Experience BV and Dutch breeder Van Son & Koot from Kaatsheuvel. In 2021, it received the prestigious Bronze Award KVBC Summer Challenge 2021 from the Royal Society for Cultivation, Boskoop.

Lila Sweetheart is a small plant with a rounded habit not exceeding 80 cm (32 in). This variety develops highly branched vegetation, with short upright branches, giving it a balanced stature. The deciduous foliage falls in winter and regrows in spring. It consists of slightly hairy, lanceolate opposite leaves measuring approximately 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) long and 2 to 3 cm (1 in) wide, with a green-grey-silver colour. The flowering occurs over 4 to 5 months, from June-July to October, depending on the region. It consists of small tubular purple flowers, gathered in long conical panicles at the tips of the branches, measuring 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long. The flowers release a sweet fragrance reminiscent of honey, highly sought after by pollinating insects and butterflies. In the summer, after each wave of flowers, light pruning encourages the buddleja to develop new flowering shoots. This hardy shrub withstands urban pollution very well, and does not suffer from occasional drought. It prefers sunny or slightly shaded locations, sheltered from strong winds. It tolerates all types of soils, even poor and chalky ones, and prefers deep, well-drained soil, slightly enriched. Protect it from excess moisture in winter. When grown in pots, it will require regular watering and some fertiliser to support its growth and flowering.

There is a great diversity of varieties in the Buddleja category, with all as unique as each other, but Lila Sweetheart stands out for the aesthetics of its striking habit and the intensity of its delicately scented flowering. Thanks to its compact habit, this dwarf buddleja is perfect for pots to enhance terraces and balconies in combination with other shrubs for containers. This shrub, with its green-grey-silver foliage contrasting with its intense and elegant flowering, can be paired with colourful perennials (Asters, Delphiniums, Echinaceas, Hemerocallis, Kniphofias, etc.), rose bushes for borders, medium-sized grasses, or flowering shrubs (Abelias, Caryopteris, Lavenders, Potentillas, Spires, etc.). Plant near a terrace, along a path, above a wall, or as a hedge. It will bring to life a flowering hedge, a flower bed, or a border from summer to autumn.