Buddleia ‘Royal Red’

Buddleia 'Royal Red' (Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red') is the butterfly bush that actually earns the name. It reaches about 2.5m tall and wide within a season or two, and from early summer it carries long, deep magenta purple panicles that are honey scented and worked over by butterflies, bees and small nectar feeding birds. Cut it hard each late winter and it comes back stronger every year.

Why you'll love it

• Butterflies find it. The nectar rich panicles pull in butterflies and bees within days of opening, which is why most people plant one.
• Long flowering. Deep magenta purple spikes carry through summer and into autumn, and deadheading keeps new ones coming.
• Honey scented. The fragrance is strongest on warm still evenings, so plant it where you sit rather than at the back of the block.
• Fast and forgiving. It reaches full size quickly, accepts poor soil, tolerates drought once established and shrugs off frost.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant in a sunny bed changes the character of a garden through summer. Give it 2.5m of room and something evergreen behind it.

Borders and mixed beds. It sits well towards the back of a perennial border with lower plants in front to hide its leggy base. Space plants 2m apart where several run together.

Informal screening. A row at 2m spacing gives a fast summer screen over a pool fence or a neighbouring window. It is deciduous, so do not rely on it for year round privacy.

Growing Buddleia 'Royal Red' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Shade halves the flowering and stretches the growth. This is a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean plant, comfortable with frost and with genuinely cold winters, which are what set it up for a strong spring.

Soil. Almost anything that drains, including poor, stony and shallow ground. Rich soil produces soft growth and fewer flowers. Waterlogging is the one thing it will not tolerate.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feeding is close to optional: a handful of complete fertiliser in early spring is plenty.

Pruning. This is the job that makes the plant. In late winter cut every stem back to about 30cm, because flowers come on new wood and a hard cut gives bigger panicles on a tidier frame. Through summer remove spent flower heads as they brown, which prolongs flowering and limits self seeding. This species can naturalise along creek lines in cooler districts.

What to expect when it arrives

Buddleia is grown here in tubes: young plants with a developed root plug and 150mm to 250mm of top growth. With a shrub this fast that is the smart buy, since a spring planted tube commonly reaches a metre and flowers in its first summer. There is little advantage in a larger pot.

Tubes are light and travel well. Plant within a few days of arrival into a sunny, well drained spot, water in, and pinch the growing tips once to encourage branching low down. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to fragrant plants for Australian gardens
• Browse bee and butterfly plants
• Compare deciduous shrubs
• How to prune shrubs with confidence

Common questions

When should I prune it?

Late winter, before new growth starts. Cut all stems back to roughly 30cm. Flowers form on new wood, so the harder the winter cut, the better the summer display.

Does it lose its leaves?

Yes. It is deciduous in cool temperate gardens and semi deciduous in milder ones. Plan for a bare frame from midwinter until the spring flush, and pair it with something evergreen.

Will it seed itself around the garden?

It can. Deadhead spent panicles through summer, particularly in cooler districts near waterways, and check with your local council before planting if you garden beside bushland.