Description
Buddleja lindleyana | Weeping Butterfly Bush
Weeping Butterfly Bush, also known as Lindley’s Butterfly Bush, is native to China. It was first introduced into cultivation by Robert Fortune in 1843 and named by him in 1844 in honor of Dr. John Lindley, who was the botanical professor and secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Weeping Butterfly Bush is a relatively unknown species that is frequently overlooked in favor of the numerous cultivars of Buddleia davidii. This easy to grow, perennial shrub has a weeping form with graceful, arching and pendulous racemes of violet-purple flowers just keep blooming and growing in length, eventually reaching 12, 24, or 36 inches long! It’s a prolific bloomer and a butterfly magnet, as well as hummingbird and bumble bee attractant. Foliage is dark green and glossy and remains evergreen throughout the winter months. The blooms make exceptional cut flowers, lasting a very long time, and opening more flowers over time towards the tip.
Unlike the more common butterfly bush species (B. davidii) which do best with a hard pruning in spring, Buddleja lindleyana is fine without it. If pruning is necessary, do it in early spring.
The plant can spread via underground rhizomes, so new plants may be found within 4 ft of the mother plant.
Start seeds indoors with heat, humidity, and light. Do not cover tiny seeds with soil. Allow up to 2 weeks to germinate.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 8-10 ft
Mature width: 5-7 ft
Hardiness zones: 5- 10
