Buddleja crispa

RHS Plant Profile
Himalayan butterfly bush
Himalayan butterfly bush RHS

Synonyms

Buddleja sterniana
Buddleja tibetica

Shrubs

Deciduous shrub, around 3m in height, with oval, deeply toothed, leaves fragrant when young, and arching stems covered in dense, white felt. Racemes of fragrant, small, pale lavender-pink flowers, with a white eye, produced from mid to late summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

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

Growing Conditions

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

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H4
Drought Resistance
Yes

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower Foliage
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Scrophulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Spreading branched
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
Himalaya

How to Grow

Cultivation

Needs a sunny, sheltered spot with excellent drainage; in areas prone to winter wet, it may be best grown in containers and overwintered in a cool greenhouse. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wall side borders
  • Climber and wall shrubs

Pruning

Pruning group 6. May be pruned hard back in spring as flowers on current season's growth

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