RED BUTTERFLY BUSH
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ puts on a great show of rich, red-purple flower trusses, from early summer, on through summer and autumn.
The flowers are also very rich in nectar and perfume and have a sweet scent like honey.
So they are a pleasure for bringing scent and a constant parade of pollinators into the garden.
Including native honey-eating birds, bees and butterflies who just cannot leave this lovely shrub alone.
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ forms a gracefully arching, medium sized, evergreen shrub.
It is highly valued for long blooming; rich colour and perfume; easy, quick growth; and low maintenance.
So Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ is a tough survivor, even in less-than-ideal conditions.
GROWING: Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red'
Height with flowers: Medium sized shrub from 1.5m. to 2.5m. approx. depending on conditions.
Width: 1.5m. to 1.8m. approx.
Growth: Arching, medium, evergreen shrub. Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is quick growing.
Bloom season: Long, conical, arching trusses of blooms, from early summer on and through autumn.
Position: Prefers full sun but is also well able to adapt to partial shade. However, it may grow a little taller and looser in shape in more shaded positions.
Can be used to make an informal hedge, or planted as an individual specimen where you can enjoy the flowers and watching the pollinators at work.
Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is also an excellent choice for coastal and seaside gardens, or windy sites.
Soil: Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is very easily grown in a wide variety of soils. From sandy to clay based soils and including good garden loam or limestone-based soils. Because it is also tolerant of a wide range of soil pH, from acid to alkaline.
Prefers good drainage and so is not suitable for permanently waterlogged positions.
Frost: Frost hardy, and able to withstand temperatures down to approx. -25C. depending on conditions.
Water: Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' will thrive on average garden watering. Because it is not a particularly thirsty plant and can tolerate some periods of dry, as well as periods with minimal additional watering.
So Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is a good choice for water-saving gardeners.
Pots: Can be grown permanently in a large pot and trimmed or pruned to a desired shape.
Cut Flowers: The blooms of Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' can be used as cut flowers and brought indoors to enjoy the intense colour and sweet perfume. They have a reasonable vase life.
Bees & Birds: The flower trusses of Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' are irresistible magnets to many useful pollinators, including bees, butterflies and small native honey-eating birds. The flowers are rich in nectar. Plus the long blooming season make them extremely beneficial for keeping pollinators well-fed and working in your garden.
Care & Maintenance: Easy care, low maintenance shrub. So Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' can thrive on neglect if necessary.
Fertilizer: Quality fertilizer such as Powerfeed can be applied in spring and autumn. However Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is not a hungry shrub. So it can thrive in less fertile soils and with minimal additional fertilizer.
We also recommend to water in with Seasol at planting.
Pruning: Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' responds well to pruning and can be cut back hard if necessary. Providing you cut to where lowest growth is showing it will quickly bounce away with new branches.
Buddleja shrubs also look very appealing when pruned to an umbrella shape, with lower growth and branches pruned off completely to reveal the structure of the trunks.
Buddleja davidii shrubs are usually multi-trunked, but you can prune them to a single trunk if required.
Pests & Diseases: Rarely troubled by any pests or diseases.
Deer & Rabbit resistant: Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' is not usually troubled by rabbits and deer, as they tend to find other plants more palatable.
Quarantine Restriction: None. Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red' can be shipped to all states from Di’s Delightful Plants - one of Australia’s largest on-line nursery and mail order plant services.