Pavillon Tricolor Buddleia

created by Sarah B. at 10.03.2021

Seed packet

Season Overview

Sowing

Harvest

1ST YEAR

FOLLOWING YEARS

Description

Origin Summer lilacs (Buddleja) are a genus in the brownroot family (Scrophlariacae). They grow as deciduous, winter or evergreen semishrubs or shrubs, rarely as trees. Summer lilacs are common in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. There are about 100 species worldwide, growing mainly in full sun and hot locations on sometimes very dry and poor soils. One should not be misled by the German name Sommerflieder, it is not related to the true lilac (Syringa). Appearance and growth From the horticultural point of view, the species Buddleja davidii, also called butterfly bush, is particularly interesting. There are numerous cultivated forms of this species, the so-called Davidii hybrids, with different flower colors and growth heights. Depending on the variety, they grow broadly upright or stocky and form a loose, funnel-shaped crown with strong main shoots and loose side branches whose tips often overhang slightly under the weight of the flowers. The largest cultivars grow to four meters tall, the smallest about 1.50 meters. Their bark is light brown and the narrow, elongated leaves are opposite and lanceolate. They are gray-green and have gray-felted undersides. In mild winters, much of the previous year's foliage often remains attached to the shoots, and only in heavier frosts do the leaves die and fall to the ground. The large elongated flower panicles are at the ends of this year's main and side shoots. They open from July and often bloom until the first frost. Varieties bloom white, light pink, pinkish red, and purple to dark purple. Less well known are the frost-sensitive globe summer lilac (Buddleja globosa) and the yellow-flowering and somewhat hardier yellow summer lilac (Buddleja x weyeriana), a garden hybrid. In addition, there is also the hardy alternate-leaved summer lilac (Buddleja alternifolia), which, however, bears little resemblance to the other species in purely visual terms. It grows strongly overhanging and its purple flowers appear in June in small clusters in the leaf axils of the previous year's shoots. The narrow, elongated leaves are alternate, unlike the butterfly bush. The Butterfly Lilac, as the name suggests, is a real butterfly magnet in the garden. Colorful butterflies such as the Small Fox and the Peacock Butterfly are magically attracted to its nectar-rich, fragrant flowers. At the same time, however, the plant is also a neophyte, which means that it continues to spread in nature. In particular, it occurs very dominantly in dry locations: Railroad embankments and industrial wastelands in inner-city areas are often densely overgrown with summer lilac. Use The butterfly bush is suitable for solitary and group planting in warm, full-sun perennial and summer flower beds. However, this undemanding shrub still does well on dry slopes in gravelly soils. Late summer butterfly beds are especially beautiful when the shrub is combined with tall stonecrop, asters and other perennials that are popular with butterflies. Because of its southern look, butterfly bush also fits well in Mediterranean-designed gardens. The yellow summer lilac is only suitable for outdoor planting in very mild regions, and the globe summer lilac does not have sufficient winter hardiness for the Central European climate. However, both shrubs can be cultivated well in containers. They need a well-drained substrate that is not too rich in humus and can manage without watering for a few days. Like the butterfly bush, the butterfly bush can be used as a specimen plant or for group planting. However, it also cuts a good figure in loose, free-growing flowering hedges, provided it is not too heavily shaded by other woody plants. The summer lilac is cut back heavily in spring, because it blooms exclusively on new wood. This is an important measure to avoid mistakes in the care of the summer lilac. It is enough to leave only two to four buds from last year's flowering shoots. As a result, it forms particularly strong new shoots with large inflorescences. The alternate-leaved summer lilac, on the other hand, should only be thinned out and not cut back completely, as it flowers on the previous year's shoot. If you want to prevent the butterfly bush from self-seeding, you should cut off the withered inflorescences continuously as early as late summer. Winter protection or overwintering Protect the yellow butterfly bush in the fall in the root zone with a thick layer of foliage. If necessary, cut back the shoots slightly and then also wrap the crown in a winter fleece. The globe summer lilac overwinters best in a dark, preferably cool cellar room. Propagation All summer lilacs are easily propagated by cuttings or cuttings. The butterfly bush also self-seeds in loose, well-drained soil, but the offspring are not true to the variety and usually have the purple flowers of the wild species. Diseases and pests All species of summer lilac are very hardy and are rarely affected by diseases or pests. In warm, air-dry locations, spider mites may occasionally occur, and downy mildew may also occur in humid summers.

F1 Hybrid

Frostproof