Buddleja davidii

The summer lilac or butterfly-bush is in the Scrophulariaceae family and is native to the provinces of Sichuan and Hubei in China and also to Japan. It is a vigorous shrub with an arching habit, reaching up to 5 m in height.

• The branches are sometimes quadrangular in section; younger shoots have a dense covering of hairs.
• Leaves are opposite, lanceolate, 7–13 cm long, turning 180° each whorl, covered with woolly hairs beneath when young.
• Flowers are hermaphrodites (male and female on same flower), forming terminal panicles up to 20 cm long on tips of branches, projecting above the plant. Winter panicles of seeds are visible on the plants for much of the winter, standing out after leaves have fallen.
• Bark is tan, developing deep furrows with age.
• Over 180 cultivars of the plant have been developed, with flowers expressed in many different colours and shades.