Buddleja davidii 'Empire Blue' | Butterfly Bush
Grown by Danielle
South Downs National Park
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Scented, violet-blue flowers on arching branches
- Turn your garden into a bee and butterfly haven
- Grows to 4m x 3m
- RHS Perfect for Pollinators
Description
- A large, fast-growing deciduous flowering shrub
- Arching branches of lance-shaped leaves bear long panicles of violet-blue flowers with a honey scent
- Thrives in sunny flower beds and cottage garden borders
- Grows to between 2.5-4m tall and wide, within 5-10 years
- A fully hardy, long-lived shrub with excellent pest resistance and drought tolerance
- Awarded the RHS's Plants for Pollinators designation for its benefits to bees and butterflies
What To Expect
Supplied as:
Height on arrival:
Eventual height:
Time to first crop:
Flower colour:
Habit:
Hardiness:
Rootstock:
Spacing:
How To Grow
Good pest and disease resistance
Usually disease free, Buddleja may be affected by capsid bugs or caterpillars. capsid bugs. Check your plants regularly and pick any bugs off by hand, the spray the infected area with some soapy water. Encouraging birds and beetles which feed on caterpillars, and ladybirds which feed on capsid bugs will reduce this issue.
Water regularly in summer
This plant needs nothing more than rain water throughout most of the year. During hot, prolonged dry periods in summer however, you may have to give the plant a good watering several times a week. This will increase the nectar content and attract more butterflies. If the plant starts to look distressed and the soil around it is very dry, then give the plant some more water and check up on it the next day.
Full sun to partial shade
Buddleja does best in a sunny, sheltered spot but will be fine with a little light shade, especially in the afternoons.
Any average well-drained soil
Plant in any well-drained soil. If your soil is particularly poor or clay heavy, add some garden compost with perlite to improve drainage.
Feeding not required
On a fertile soil, no feeding is required. An annual mulch of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or garden compost can be useful. For Buddleja in pots, add some slow-release fertiliser annually to keep them flowering or use a liquid feed between April and September. ?v=1613300718
Planting Calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
South Downs National Park
Meet Danielle
110 years' expertise free with every plant
Straight from the capable hands of our shrub specialist Danielle to your garden, you can be sure that each bush, hedge and plant is grown to last. Nurtured in the fields of the South Downs and professionally pruned for the best shape, these hardy feature plants will be adding structure, colour and variety to your garden for many years to come.
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
We’re confident that you’ll be delighted with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re perfectly happy.
Learn from our experts
How to Design a Flower Bed
Digging deep to answer your questions
How do I know I'm getting quality plants?
All of our plants are grown in specialist nurseries with the highest standards of plant care and sustainability. We guarantee you'll love them as much as we do! Don't just take our word for it - we've got thousands of great reviews on Trustpilot.
When will I get my plants?
The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.
How will my plants be packed and delivered?
We send all of our orders through a courier network designed to handle plants. Specialist equipment ensures that no plants will be damaged during the packing process and every order is carefully finished and checked by plant-loving humans. Your plants will arrive in the most sustainable packaging possible with minimal to no plastic used.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.
Ask the grower
One of our trusted team will get back to you via email
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I can’t wait to order again, price is good as well.
Peter Mawer
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
John Harris
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. It’s the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
Karen McEwan
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Martin C Simmons
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Sara Bradley
Marvelous!
Marvelous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants😂🌱
Cheryl Mae Owen