Buddleja Davidii Empire Blue Butterfly Bush

Buddleja Davidii Empire Blue is a mid-sized deciduous violet-blue buddleja with orange eyes and white-green foliage. It’s an established cultivar with a sweet scent and the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It’s perfect for low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly informal borders.

Buddleja Davidii is native to Japan and central China’s Sichuan and Hubei provinces. It’s named after Reverend Adam Buddle and Father Armand David, who were explorers and botanists in the 1880s. Buddleja Davidii became commercially available in Britain in the 1890s and it’s been popular ever since. Buddleia easily naturalises in our climate and enjoys a well-drained slope with little maintenance.
The Empire Blue cultivar was bred in the United States by KA Lucal in Ohio in 1941. It’s a well-established cultivar that’s stood the test of time.  

In spring, typical oval buddleja foliage emerges on woody stems. Its foliage is lance-shaped and green on the surface with a white underside. In mid to late summer, long panicles of violet-blue flowers emerge on new growth. Each panicle contains hundreds of tiny violet flowers each with an orange eye.

This is a sweetly scented Butterfly Bush that holds the RHS AGM and the Plants for Pollinators badge. Both bees and butterflies adore Buddleja Davidii Empire Blue. It’s a must-have in wildlife gardens.

Height And Spread of Buddleja Empire Blue
This is a mid-sized buddleja that reaches around 1.5 metres in height and spread over 5-10 years.

How Hardy is Buddleja Empire Blue
Since 1941 Buddleja Davidii Empire Blue has withstood British winters and coped with drought. It’s a hardy butterfly bush that isn’t bothered by pests or diseases.

How To Use Buddleja Empire Blue
This is a medium-sized butterfly bush that suits mixed informal flower borders, country cottage-style gardens, coastal areas, and low-maintenance spaces in need of summertime colour.
Buddleja Empire Blue is compact enough to grow in a large well-watered and fed container. It’ll brighten up a balcony or empty deck with its violet-blue flowers and pollinator visitors.

How To Care For Buddleja Empire Blue
This woody shrub is very easy to grow. Choose a moist but well-drained spot in full sun or partial shade and it will thrive. Soil pH is not an issue, buddleja is so tenacious it grows in chalk, clay, sand, or loam in exposed and sheltered spots.

For the healthiest shrub, cut down all its branches in early spring before new growth appears. It will regrow to its full height each summer and bloom profusely because flowers appear on new growth. Unpruned buddleja become leggy and have fewer flowers. Deadheading spent flower panicles throughout summer also encourages more blooms.

Mulch Buddleja Davidii Empire Blue well in spring and water it well until you see new growth. If it’s growing in a container, be sure to fertilise it and raise the container up on feet to allow good drainage.