This really is a rather fabulous shrub. It’s so fabulous that even those who hate the conventional purple spires of Buddleia davidii will find themselves irresistibly falling in love with it. Buddleia x weyeriana ‘Sungold’ is a big bush covered in scoops of vanilla ice cream. Last summer I was so entranced by the shape of the blooms that I made a quirky flower arrangement from them.
This super-duper hybrid bush is a bee and butterfly magnet, smells gorgeous, and has flowers which look much more beautiful in death than its parent B.davidii, whose spikes look a bit unpleasant when they die back. I have loved this shrub for years, and have planted it in every garden I’ve ever lived in. I’m raising cuttings now for the next garden I move to, as I can’t bear to be without it. And if you ever plant one, you’ll feel the same.
The only catch with this buddleia is that it grows like the clappers, so make sure you hard prune it each March. When I planted mine out two years ago, it was a six-month-old six-inch-tall baby grown from a cutting. It’s now 10ft, with a fat trunk, and that’s after the pruning I did this year. Not a plant for the faint-hearted.
Vital stats
Location:
Any soil.
Light:
Full sun
When to plant:
Autumn
What can I expect from this plant?
Height: 15ft
Spread: 6ft
Flowers: July
http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/2009/07/10/buddleia-x-weyeriana-sungold/
