Silver-leaved Fountain Buddlejas are, to my eye at least, one of the 500 essential plants for any garden. They have a really sweet, honey-like scent and … It blooms in Spring but not in Summer. a mad scientist, searching out plants that most people have, never seen before & figuring out how to make them perform.” - The Boston Globe, or just about any other place where concrete consumes, the dirt and skyscrapers shield the sunshine.” - USA Today. Bailey (1913): “The most magnificent and showy of native North American species, well worthy of extensive cultivation.”. Need other even more adventurous options? ‘Argentea’ selected at Hillier Nursery in England in 1939. Please see ‘Schedule’ page for more information. 2) Buddleia davidii - The simplest option is to grow it as a standard. And its wood is totally hardy, so there's no die-back to deal with in Spring. Sign up for twice-monthly eNews, plus notification of new posts: New England Home Design Blog, Winter 2015, The Washington Post — "Can a Garden be Too Bee-Friendly? Easy as long as the plant gets all possible sun, and is planted in well-draining or even sandy soil. And that would be? Another name: the Figwort family? Size: 9’ x 10’Care: sun in any soilNative: Canada to Southeastern U.S. No pruning needed but can be pruned at any time of year, if desired.Wildlife Value: Berries relished by chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, swallows, Titmouse, catbirds, bluebirds, Northern flicker & yellow-rumped warblers. the Spring flowers, such a surprise from the Summer flowers of the usual butterfly bushes, which are cultivars of B. davidii. Silver-leaved Fountain Buddleja Yes, this is a buddleja—but it's in bloom in early June, not the usual July through September season of the regular Butterfly Bushes, which are all cultivars of Buddleja davidii. Green flowers in summer then, “conspicuous in winter when covered with its grayish white fruits which stay on the branches until spring.”  Bailey  “The leaves turn a fine brown-purple in the fall, but the berries are the thing – pewter in color, with a texture like those Fourth of July sparklers of childhood memory, they have a delicious fragrance.” Allen Lacy. AND, if you decide you'd prefer to have your F-B standard in a pot instead of in the ground, pollarding is the great convenience as well:  Pollard in late Fall, after hard frosts have forced most of the plant's leaves to drop, and it's, therefore, fairly dormant. Origin: Native to East Asia and South America. Fountain Butterfly Bush (Buddleja alternifolia) in the Butterfly Bushes Database - … the small, narrow, silvery leaves are much, much smaller than those of B. davidii, and are reminiscent of the foliage of both willows and olives. Allergic to bees? He made three trips to the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775 where he collected about 1000 new species, Java and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1777 and 15 months in Japan  (1775-1777) where he befriended local doctors who gave him hundreds of plants new to Western horticulture. Silver Fountain Butterfly Bush, a silver-leaved and more cold-hardy selection of B. alternifolia was selected as Plant Select® winner in 1998 for its adaptability to western gardens, gracefully arching branches, immense lavender flower clusters and beautiful silvery leaves. In all cases, be firm about a serious clipping right after the flowers are through. Also known as the ‘Fountain Butterfly Bush’ this one flowers on the previous years wood, so prune after flowering. This 6 – 8' tall and wide multi-stemmed deciduous shrub has narrow silver leaves and a fountain of cascading, fragrant, lavender flowers in spring on the previous season's growth. Buddleja alternifolia, known as alternate-leaved butterfly-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, which is endemic to Gansu, China.A substantial deciduous shrub growing to 4 metres (13 ft) tall and wide, it bears grey-green leaves and graceful pendent racemes of scented lilac flowers in … Size: 24" x 12"Care: Full sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil.Native: Eastern AsiaAwards: England's Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. Buddleia alternifolia is not one of the more common Buddleia davidii - The Butterfly Bushes. Depending on how the bush is handled, they could even flow. Von Thunberg (1743-1828), student of Linnaeus at Uppsala University in Sweden. Cut off all the long weeping flowering stems right after the flowers are through. Fountain Butterfly Bush blooms in early spring before Buddleia davidii's do. And that would be? Details B. alternifolia is a vigorous large deciduous shrub which can be trained into a small tree, with arching branches bearing narrow, grey-green leaves and sweetly scented lilac-purple flowers, borne in clusters along the previous year's shoots Argentea Alternate Leaf Butterfly Bush is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. This deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub typically grows from 6 to 10 feet tall by 4 to 10 feet wide with a rather open, arching form. Unlike most butterfly bushes, silver fountain will not die to the ground each winter. Thanks to the silver foliage, these are showy right from the get-go, and continue to charm all season long. Purple flowers appear in clusters over a long period in spring. The cultivar’s name ‘Argentea’ means silver due to the tiny hairs on the foliage giving the plant a silvery appearance. Or fan the bush out against a fence or wall. Pruning isn't necessary with this shrub unless wanting to keep within certain boundaries. You can still have an exciting garden, full of flowers and color and wildlife. Your weeping standard will be the ultimate in grace as well as detail. That trunk will, in time, become truly trunky too: I've seen standards of Fountain Butterfly with trunks as thick as a supermodel's legs. Given that Zone 5 (or even a sheltered Zone 4) hardiness, you should be able to store the pot in an unheated (but securely enclosed and out of the winter winds and drafts) location. Wherever it's grown, I'd highlight its weepiness with some training. After you and your Fountain Buddleja standard are well established as a couple, you could even cut all the branches back to the top of the trunk when the blooming's done, not just those that have flowered. I am training mine into a standard. It flowers on wood (growth) made the previous year so its pruning needs are different. To 810 feet tall and wide. The straight species has all the charm and potential of weeping and training and flowering, but the green foliage is boring compared to the silver-leaved variety. It's always a butterfly, bee, and hummingbird draw. It blooms in Spring but not in Summer. The older the bush gets the prettier it is. Fortunately, a related species of butterfly bush, B. alternifolia, is much more “polite”: decades of Silver Fountain butterfly bush, a silver-leaved and more cold-hardy selection of B. alternifolia was selected as Plant Select ® winner in 1998 for its adaptability to western gardens, gracefully arching branches, immense lavender flower clusters and beautiful silvery leaves. Closed Sunday and Monday. Map Help ^Top of Page. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT OUR RETAIL LOCATION. So they're showy by virtue of sheer number as well as their stems' geometry of many downward arcs. Or the "wall of weep" you'd have if the F-B were fanned onto a wall or fence. Butterfly Bush, Silver Fountain. You don’t cut the fountain (or little-leaf) butterfly bush to the ground each year (as you do here with the more common B. davidii cultivars) so it gets really big (about 12 feet tall and just as wide) even in my cold Zone 5, an arching, fountain-like cascade of lavender blossoms produced on last year’s wood.. It’s fast growing. Tree form may superficially resemble a small weeping willow. The tiny flowers, which are fragrant in addition to colorful, are in tight "popcorn ball" clusters of ten or so florets, with a score or more of the clusters along the outward-facing sides of the weeping stems. bettya@heritageflowerfarm.com. Silver fountain butterfly bush is a large, elegant, vase-shaped shrub covered with small silver leaves. Briliant orange with purple spots, turks-cap type lily blooming in late summer to early fall, Size: 10’ x 12”Care: shade to sun in moist, acidic soilNative: from VT to Fl & west to Mississippi River, incl. After the bush has had a few years to get organized (be patient: young plants have none of the zero-to-sixty-by-August mindset of, But unless you live in Novosobirsk, Fountain Butterfly wood is completely hardy top to bottom, with none of the massive die-back typical of, After you and your Fountain Buddleja standard are well established as a couple, you could even cut. L.H. Silver Spring Blooming Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Stunningly different and showy, few shrubs can rival this outstanding selection. Buddleja alternifolia ‘Argentea’ is also identical to Buddleja alternifolia except for the leaves which are covered in a silky hairs giving the plant a silvery appearance. This one doesn't have to be cut back. 12' tall x 8' wide. Size: 3-4’ x 12”Care: Sun to part shade in moist, acidic soil, Lilium was named for the Greek word for smooth, polished referring to its leaves. Why any nursery would sell anything other than the silver-leaved is beyond me. The plant will look spindly and aghast, so be reassuring and attentive by 1) continuing to tie the top to the stake, so you lengthen the trunk to five or six feet (or higher if you've got the yen), and 2) continuing to clip off the new sprouts that will pop up from the base of the bush, which is, of course, a buddleia, who as a tribe are always interesting in sprouting from the base. Buddleja alternifolia is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub or small single trunk tree which typically grows 8-15' tall (infrequently to 20' as a tree) with arching, drooping, willow-like branches. Bayberry thickets also provide nesting sites for songbirds, offering excellent protection from predators.Size: Fragrant leaves used for potpourri, abundant berries used to make candles. Fountain Butterfly Bush makes a great addition to our Wildlife Herb Garden Six Pack. Argentum is Latin meaning silver. Plants for Butterflies and Other Pollinators, Alpine, Rock, Miniature, Bonsai and Railroad Gardens. Place it … Weeping, delicate—and, unless trained, a bit messy. Fountain butterfly bush related varieties: Buddleia alternifolia Argentea, with silvery leaves, is a popular selection and the first to flower. Myrtle's easy when the conditions are right. Knighted by Swedish King Gustav. After the bush has had a few years to get organized (be patient: young plants have none of the zero-to-sixty-by-August mindset of B. davidii), stake the biggest branch upright and then (gulp) lop off all the rest of the bush. This species introduced to the Europe by Carl Peter von Thunberg around 1777. Give it plenty of room because it gets huge! It’s fragrant too and, true to its name, butterflies love it. Aster Burning Bush Euonymus alatus Atriplex canescens Four-Wing Saltbush Butterfly Bush, Silver Fountain Buddleja alternifolia 'Argentea' Aurinia saxitalis* Basket-of-Gold* Butterfly weed, Milkweed Asclepias Baptisia False Indigo Carpet Bugle Ajuga The leaves of some cultivars are densely hairy underneath. Their stems are square in cross-section, and young shoots are covered by dense, white hairs. Does not need to be cut back like other butterfly bush. This bush's most exceptional talents are in partnering with you, to create a number of striking sculptural and structural triumphs. Unless trained, multi-stemmed, hay-stacky, weepy, broader than tall. While the flowering and the weeping new stems that bear the flowers are always lovely, the bush overall is a mess if it's not trained one way or the other. Here's how to grow this unusual butterfly bush: Scrophulariaceae, the Scrophularia family? Offered for sale in Bartram Garden’s 1783 Broadside, America’s 1st plant catalog. This keeps the gray foliage as silver as possible, and also maximizes the flowering. L.H. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition. Location Map for Buddleja alternifolia 'Argentea' (Alternate-leaved Butterfly Bush; Silver Fountain Butterfly Bush) - 6 Map Locations Found Click a marker pin or a green plant 'dot' for details. Planthunter Robert Fortune found the white form in a nursery near Shanghai and sent it to England in 1845. : The fountain butterfly bush is an excellent accent plant if given enough space. Its texture is medium to fine. Easy! Facts: Buddleia. Plant database entry for Fountain Butterfly Bush (Buddleja alternifolia) with 8 images and 27 data details. Six to eight feet tall and ten feet or more wide. Imagine the weeping and flowering stems "pouring" down from the arch or pergola. Even out of bloom, the shrub is striking. 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