PLANT OF THE WEEK

BUTTERFLY BUSH

This beauty (Buddleja davidii) starts flowering now and goes on for four to six weeks. It lives up to its name since the flowers can be covered with butterflies all day long.

It’s a fantastic sight, growing to roughly 8-10ft high and putting on a good display of tapering cones of white, lilac-pink, mauve or purple flowers that look stunning.

Buddleja is easy to grow given full sun and reasonably welldrained soil.

Its only big hate is permanently wet feet.

Plants root easily from softwood cuttings taken now.