Butterfly Bush / Buddleia davidii

It needs a lot of water especially in spring for best flowering. In 2019 it got winter snow melt and spring was wet enough, but I did not do supplemental watering and by dry June it needed more. Flowering in 2019 was sparse.

I'm always surprised at how pink the flowers are, especially at first. I think of this as a purple flowered butterfly bush, but it is quite pink-lavender.

August 7, 2021

I don't water this, but it gets a lot of water from the irrigation for the perennials below it. 

July 21, 2020 just starting to flower -- later this year

Blooms went by in August, but there was some late season re-bloom. September 20, 2020

What was here:

August 10, 2018

There was a large purple flowered butterfly bush in the corner of the kitchen courtyard when we moved in. The purple spikes peeked up over the fence and it looked cottagey.

It was overtaken by a big Spanish broom right next to it, but that was removed.

I cut it back to a foot high in winter, and when it came back it remained narrowly upright, having grown that way when the broom crowded it.

But without the broom supporting it, the butterfly bush is a bit rangy and floppy now. The panicles are large and heavy and it droops.

I don't know what variety this is, there are so many purple flowered butterfly bushes. It flowers nicely, but not as thickly profuse as some butterfly bushes.

The flower spikes are a light lavender, with orange eyes.

July 11, 2018

August 11, 2018

It wilts in the afternoon, no matter how much water it gets, but perks up again with cooler temperatures.

July 1, 2018
A few spikes start to bloom. It's upright and narrow, but droops when
the large, heavy flower panicles open.

July 28, 2018.  Starting to flower, becoming a bit rangier.