This deciduous shrub is native to China but has naturalized in southeastern US where it can form substantial thickets by means of stolons. It has cinnamon colored trunks and dark green shiny leaves that are ovate and up to 1.5 to 7.75 inches long. The small flowers are carried in slender, lax, terminal, one-sided panicles in mid to late summer and are lavender in bud turning purple when open. Each flower is curved and is covered on the outside by fine hairs that give it a velvety sheen. The panicle elongates as the flowers open and may reach two feet in length. They are butterfly and hummer magnets. Unlike other buddlejas, B.lindleyana should not be cut to ground.
Type: Deciduous shrub
Outstanding Feature: Slender panicles of purple flowers
Form: Weeping
Growth Rate: Moderate
Bloom: Lavender flowers carried in one-sided slender terminal panicles up to 24” long in mid-to late summer
Size: 10’ H x 8’ W
Light: Full dun
Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 8-9
Care: Feed and mulch in spring
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Semi-ripe cuttings
Karen Meyers