Buddleja LO&BEHOLD^® 'PINK MICRO CHIP'

Buddleja is better known as butterfly bush. The reason is obvious – from early summer when it starts blooming until early autumn it produces large, scented flowers that attract winged insects, mostly butterflies. Old varieties are commonly large shrubs, however, more and more modern plants are bred for smaller and compact growth.

Pink Micro Chip is a dwarf butterfly bush from the LO&BEHOLD^® series bred by Dennis James Werner from the North Carolina State University, USA. It is a planned breeding programme of hybridizing several buddleja species in order to achieve truly dwarf and freely flowering varieties suitable for the smallest of gardens.

Pink Micro Chip buddleja produces slightly fragrant, rich pink flowers composed in 10-12 long, slender racemes from late June until late summer or early autumn if the weather is sunny and warm. Deciduous leaves are broadly lance-shaped, medium green, and slightly hairy. Plants form low shrubs with prostrate branches which are best pruned hard in spring for best results. Patent No. PP26547 was granted in 2016.

Butterfly bush requires little care. Still, we strongly recommend hard pruning every spring to low permanent framework when buds begin to swell. Plant it in full sun, in well-drained humus-rich soil. It will die in boggy soil after winter. Though hardy to -29°C (USDA zone 5) it performs better in warmer zones. We suggest buying older plants with woody framework for planting in colder areas.

Last update 05-10-2020