Botanical Name: Buddleja davidii 'Variegata'
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Common Name: Variegated Butterfly Bush  
Plant photo of: Buddleja davidii 'Variegata'
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

Purple, Red

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Green, Grey Green, Yellow, Variegated

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Fast

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Mediterranean, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers, Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Screen

 

Attracts Wildlife

Hummingbirds, Butterflies

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:

  • Description

  • Notes

Variegated butterfly bush grows between 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, in an arching, mounding form. It has purplish-red flowers that form long panicles, and blooms from June to September. Leaves are a soft green to grey-green, with yellow mottling. But I'm going to be honest with you: if you buy this shrub for the variegation, be forewarned that it is unstable, and somewhere along the line it will revert back to a solid green leaf. And the green foliage is more vigorous and, once it appears, you'll need to stay on-top of pruning it out. It has a great flower, but there are better variegated shrubs out there, if that's what you're after.
Buddleia flower on new wood, so a hard pruning in late winter to early spring will encourage alot of branches and alot of flowers. Buddleia sometimes die-back in our colder winters, so prune hard to remove dead wood. If you want to try to keep your buddleia taller, when you prune, cut off the outward, arching branches, leaving the taller, central limbs in place. Attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; resistent to deer. Grow in full sun to part shade, but best flowering occurs with full sun. Grow in well-drained soil; adaptive to soil types, from poor, dry soils to sandy-loam and clay-loam soils. A great cut flower.