susidee34's Full Review: Black Knight Butterfly Bush Buddleia Oldtimer/Hard...
If you are looking for a way to draw butterflies to your garden, as well as a perky color boost in the summer, you can’t go wrong picking a Black Knight Butterfly Bush [Buddleia davidii]. It is a deciduous shrub, rangy in habit, covered with scores of beautiful dark purple flowers that resemble the flower on a Lilac.
Characteristics: ~Zone 5 - 9 ~6’ x 5’ ~Blooms June - September ~Full sun ~Water weekly unless it is extremely hot or a lot of drying winds ~Low maintenance ~Well drained soil
Care and maintenance: You can plant in a semi-shady area or as an understory plant but expect lower flower production and watch or the plant will grow weedy and sparse looking. It does very badly in wet soil conditions. In Zones 5-6 the plant dies to ground in winter, cut dead stems to encourage more plant growth the next spring.
In warmer climates, cut to ground after vigorous blooming period is over to promote a healthier plant and more blooms the following spring. Leave a few blooms on a couple of branches to help with reseeding.
The flowers are abundant and large, some reaching as big as 10” in length. Coloration is a nice dark purple and are fragrant. They actually make a nice cut flower for a bouquet. The foliage is willowy, gray-green in appearance, almost looking like it has a powdery coating.
It has no serious problems with diseases or insects although Nematodes can cause problems in the South.
Overall impression: This plant has always been a favorite of mine for the outstanding blooms that are present in the garden when it seems like everything else is taking a little breather. Although you can grow as a specimen plant, it is more suited for a mass planting because it does get rangy in appearance. It is beautiful grown in a rose garden or cottage garden and is essential in a butterfly garden.
The plant is also available in other colors: pink, red, white, yellow, and orange. The purple, however, is my favorite for its intense color although I do like to add a white one to the mix for variation.
It is practically trouble free once established and sold at most nurseries in a variety of sizes. Since it grows fairly rapidly, buy a smaller size and that way you can buy even more with the money you save. Sure, we all like that instant gratification, but it comes quickly with this plant. Add to your garden as soon as available at your local plant store and it will be lush and beautiful when bloom time comes.
Provide a general purpose fertilizer, lightly, in the spring and mix a little super phosphate around the base of the plant for more prolific blooms.
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