Buddleja Silver Anniversary - Butterfly Bush

Buddleia 'Silver Anniversary' is a particularly bright variety of bush with grey and silver foliage adorned with white and buff panicles. Compact and bushy, it forms a large ball of light that fits perfectly in a contemporary design or a white garden. It is a truly decorative shrub, but not hardy everywhere. It is much less resistant to cold than Buddleia davidii, but it is more water-efficient and does not self-seed.

Buddleia 'Silver Anniversary', also marketed under the name 'Morning Mist', belongs to the Scrophulariaceae (Buddlejaceae) family. It is an English horticultural creation by Peter Moore. Its first parent, the African-origin Buddleia loricata, has given it its bushy habit and white flowers, but also a lower hardiness. Its other parent, Buddleia crispa, is a more hardy Himalayan species from which it inherited its beautiful almost white fluffy and crisped foliage, but with a lower tolerance to summer drought. The hardiness of this variety does not exceed -8°C (17.6°F) at its peak for an adult plant. 'Silver Anniversary' is a fairly fast-growing, well-branched, dense bush with an overall spreading habit, reaching an average size of 1.5 m (5 ft) in all directions. Its branches bear oval leaves, 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) long, covered with an almost white down. They persist more or less in winter, depending on the temperatures. Flowering takes place from July to September. The vegetation is adorned with rounded panicles measuring 7 to 8 cm (3 in) in diameter, composed of numerous small tubular white flowers with a buff-orange eye. Their honey scent attracts many butterflies and other pollinating insects.

Buddleia 'Silver Anniversary' thrives in well-drained soil, in a sunny position. Plant in the ground in regions with mild winters. It can be planted as a standalone, in a hedge, or in a shrub border. In a white garden, consider pairing it with mugworts and plant silver mound at its base, for example. Its bright and soft colour will perfectly match all the colours in the garden. It will beautifully enhance the flowering of roses or orange or yellow bush cinquefoils. It can also be grown in a large container, allowing gardeners to place it on a contemporary terrace and protect it from severe winter cold.