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Shrubs

Buddleja davidii Magda's Gold Knight ('Elstb1')

butterfly bush [Magda's Gold Knight]

A deciduous shrub with neat, golden-yellow and green variegated leaves contrasting beautifully with fragrant, deep purple flowers throughout the summer and autumn. An excellent pollinator for bees, butterflies and all beneficial insects. Best when pruned hard in spring

Synonyms

Buddleja davidii 'Elstb1'

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or 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)

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: Trade

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn and winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Wildlife gardens
Flower borders and beds

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

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