Unpack bare roots or rhizomes on arrival and plant them within a week. Until then, keep them somewhere cool and ensure the roots remain slightly moist, never wet.
Out of season
Buddleja
'Little Purple'
butterfly bush
Experience the flutter of excitement around Buddleja 'Little Purple' as butterflies flock its nectar-rich, honey-scented blooms every day through summer. Growing to a mature height of around 80cm, you don’t need a huge space for this neat and compact Butterfly Bush, it’ll fit neatly in a border gap or in a large container and you’ll soon become the pollinators’ best friend. Once mature, this hardy and resilient shrub produces an abundance of ultra-violet blooms from June through to September, particularly if deadheaded when needed. Each conical bloom of Buddleja 'Little Purple' comprises hundreds of tiny flowers which butterflies and bees just adore. Silver-toned foliage makes this a cool character for contrast in a mixed planting scheme.
The key to a bushy Buddleja 'Little Purple' is to prune it back by around one third each autumn, and to deadhead the flowers through summer as and when needed. Usually two more flowers are produced slightly further down each branch once the faded flower is removed and this helps to create the bushy, dense-flowering habit. Butterfly bushes like Buddleja 'Little Purple' are not only popular for their pretty flowers, fragrance and benefits to wildlife. They’re unfussy and low maintenance too, thriving in dry conditions and poor soils. But if you do have challenging conditions for your buddleja, pot up this bare root shrub into compost to get it off to an easy start and grow on for a few months before transplanting your butterfly bush out onto the garden when it’s developed a strong root system.
Quantity
Plant profile
Plant calendar
Remove the packaging straight away, check the compost and water thoroughly if dry. Check the plant’s hardiness before placing it outdoors. Plant into a border or permanent container within a month, choosing the position recommended for the variety. Keep the top of the root ball level with the surrounding soil, firm gently and water well.
Soak the roots in water for three to six hours immediately before planting. Keep any crown, buds or emerging shoots above the water where possible.
Pot most bare roots into 15–20cm pots filled with peat-free multipurpose compost. Large or depth-sensitive roots, including peonies, are often best planted directly into borders.
Arrange the roots naturally without bending them. Cover the roots completely, positioning the crown and buds at the depth recommended for that particular perennial.
Keep pots in a sheltered outdoor position and water whenever the compost begins to dry. Grow on until roots hold the compost together when lifted from the pot.
Plant into a suitable border or permanent container once well rooted. Add a label and water regularly throughout the first growing season while the perennial establishes.
- Botanical name
- Buddleja 'Little Purple' (Butterfly Candy Series) syn. Buddleia
- Flower colour
- Purple
- Established height
- 70cm-1m
- Established spread
- 40-80cm
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
- Habit
-
Clump-forming
Upright - Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Leaf colour
- Green
- Mouse resistant
- Yes
- Plant size
- 1
- Plant spacing
- 6 plants per m2
- Pollinator friendly
- Yes
- Position
-
Sheltered
Exposed - Rabbit resistant
- Yes
- Scented
- Yes
- Soil acidity
- Any
- Soil moisture
- Free draining
- Soil type
-
Clay
Multipurpose compost - Suitable for
-
Pots
Large containers
Borders
Gravel gardens
Wildlife gardens
Cottage gardens
Low maintenance gardens - Sunlight
-
Full sun
Partial shade
Dappled shade - Toxicity
- No report
- Years to establish
- 1-2 years
Perfect for pots
Pollinator-friendly
Fragrant
Thrives in full sun
RHS Recommended
Perennial
Fully hardy
Packed peat-free
Drought tolerant
Low maintenance
Attracts wildlife
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