Buddleia ‘Pink Delight’

Buddleia 'Pink Delight' (Buddleja davidii 'Pink Delight') is grown for one thing above all. From early summer it carries long tapered spikes of bright pink flowers that smell of honey and draw butterflies in from streets away. It reaches about 2.5m tall and 1.8m wide, most of that in one growing season, and it is cut hard to the ground each winter to do it again.

Why you'll love it

• Butterflies find it within days. The nectar load is why it is called the butterfly bush, and bees and small honeyeaters work it just as hard.
• Long flowering and strongly scented. Spikes 20 to 30cm long from early summer into autumn, with a honey fragrance that carries on a warm evening.
• Fast from a small plant. It puts on most of its 2.5m in one season, so a spring planted tube flowers the same year.
• It does not want good soil. Poor, stony and dry ground suits it, while rich soil gives you more leaf and fewer flowers.
• Frost hardy and drought tolerant. Cold southern winters do not trouble it, since the top growth comes off anyway.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant at the back of a sunny bed does the job. At 2.5m by 1.8m it fills a corner quickly and holds attention through the hottest months.

Borders and small gardens. Allow 1.5m between it and its neighbours so the arching stems have room, and underplant with something low and evergreen, because the shrub is bare through winter. It suits a small block precisely because it resets every year.

Growing buddleia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun all day, or the flowering thins noticeably. It grows in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens. Cool temperate districts give the best colour and the longest spikes, while humid subtropical gardens give a shorter display and more leaf spotting.

Soil. Free draining and unimproved is ideal. It tolerates poor soil and dry spells once established, and will not accept a wet, heavy position through winter.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Skip the fertiliser unless growth is weak, because feeding a buddleia buys leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. This is the one job that matters. In late winter cut every stem back to about 30cm from the ground. It looks brutal and it is exactly right: flowers form on new wood, and an unpruned plant becomes a leggy tangle carrying small spikes.

What to expect when it arrives

Buddleia 'Pink Delight' is sold here as tube stock, so you are buying a young plant of perhaps 15 to 25cm with a handful of leaves. That suits its habit better than it sounds: a tube planted in spring commonly reaches 1.5m and flowers the same summer, then hits full size in its second.

Tubes travel well and establish quickly. Deadhead spent spikes through the season, both to keep the flowering going and to limit seed, because this species can self seed and is listed as an environmental weed in parts of Australia. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• More plants that feed bees and butterflies
• A simple guide to pruning
• Browse fragrant garden plants
• Compare other deciduous shrubs

Common questions

When and how hard should I prune it?

Late winter, back to roughly 30cm from the ground, every year. Flowers form on the current season's growth, so hard pruning is what produces long spikes at eye level rather than a thicket of short ones up high.

Will it become a weed in my garden?

It can self seed in cooler, higher rainfall districts and is listed as an environmental weed in parts of southern Australia. Deadheading before the spikes set seed removes most of that risk, but check your local council listing first.

Does it drop its leaves?

Yes, it is deciduous. Expect a bare framework through winter, which is convenient given you cut it to the ground then anyway.