Buddleja davidii - Hot Raspberry

Compact butterfly bush need not mean timid butterfly bush. Buddleja davidii BUZZ™ ‘Hot Raspberry’ produces vivid raspberry-magenta flower spikes with enough saturated color to wake up an entire border. The tapered clusters are sweetly fragrant and appear over a long summer-to-fall season, held above gray-green foliage on arching stems. This selection generally matures around 3–4 feet tall and 2–3 feet wide, a useful scale for smaller gardens, large containers, pollinator plantings, and the middle of a sunny mixed border. It pairs beautifully with gold grasses, orange milkweeds, pale pink echinaceas, or silver foliage. Butterflies and bees visit the nectar-rich flowers enthusiastically, and the stems can also be cut for informal bouquets. Full sun and well-drained soil give the best growth and bloom. Water regularly while the root system establishes; mature plants handle periods of drought but flower more generously with occasional deep watering. Deadheading keeps the display fresh, and a firm late-winter or early-spring prune encourages vigorous new flowering wood. Butterfly bush can self-sow in some regions, although this cultivar is commonly described in the trade as sterile; gardeners should still follow any local guidance concerning Buddleja davidii. Explore more fragrant pollinator favorites in our Buddleja collection.