Buddleja nivea

RHS Plant Profile
woolly butterfly bush

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Other common names

snowy butterfly bush

Shrubs
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A vigorous deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub to around 3m high, with an upright habit and woolly young stems. Leaves are long and narrow, and dark green with silvery undersides and serrated edges. Slender clusters of pale purple flowers to 15cm long are produced in late summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5
Drought Resistance
Yes

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Scrophulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Buddleja can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs, occasionally trees or scrambling climbers with simple leaves and panicles of small, tubular fragrant flowers
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Thrives in a sunny spot with good drainage, will not tolerate excess winter wet. May be evergreen if grown in a warm sheltered spot or overwintered in a cool greenhouse. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Gravel garden
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 6

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, capsid bugs, caterpillars, earwigs, figwort weevils, glasshouse red spider mite, leaf and bud eelworm, and mullein moth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus, fungal leaf spot, and virus diseases