About
Buddleja speciosissima is a robust, deciduous shrub that may remain evergreen in warmer regions. It typically reaches heights of 2 to 3 meters and features long, mid-green foliage. Both the stems and leaves are adorned with a dense, woolly covering. In the summer, it produces clusters of vibrant orange-red flowers, each with elongated tubes measuring 2 to 3 centimeters, arranged in panicles that can grow up to 20 centimeters long.
About the genus
Buddleja comprises evergreen and deciduous shrubs, and in some cases, it can also be found as small trees or scrambling climbers. The foliage consists of simple leaves, and the plants produce clusters of small, tubular flowers that emit a pleasant fragrance.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs, Conservatory Greenhouse
- Habit
- Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Deciduous, Semi evergreen
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Sub-tropical, Mediterranean climate plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Suited to southern counties and innner city microclimates only where it can be grown in well-drained soil in full sun. with shelter from cold winds, can be trained on a warm sheltered wall. Ideal for a large conservatory or greenhouse. See buddleja cultivation for more detailed advice
- Pruning
- Pruning group 6 or Pruning group 13 for wall-trained plants
- Propagation
- Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or by hardwood cuttings in autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids, capsid bugs, caterpillars, earwigs, figwort weevils, glasshouse red spider mite, leaf and bud eelworm, and mullein moth
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus, fungal leaf spot, and virus diseases