Buddleja turns your garden into a butterfly paradise

The butterfly symbolizes transformation. It is the story of Beauty and the Beast, the budding from caterpillar to butterfly. But there is so much more to it than that. Consider the famous and infamous words of "the Greatest Of All Time", the GOAT, Muhammad Ali. 

In 1964, just before his camp against Sonny Liston, the boxer spoke the prophetic words, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". He could never have known then that these words would stick to him for eternity.

He does not have eternal life, but there is no doubt that he is a survivor. We are talking about a plant, a shrub that opens its proverbial wings wide and makes a big splash all summer long: the Buddleja aka the Butterfly Bush.

Floating like a butterfly ... bush

Not pretentious, just beautiful

With the phrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," Ali described the nimble nature of his boxing style. Floating in the boxing ring with punches that arrived like blows from a giant hammer.

Floating, the Butterfly Bush does not do that at all. The plant stands with its roots firmly in the ground and impresses with its presence. Without any pretense. It simply lets its radiance do its work. And radiating, that is what the Buddleja does all summer long.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What someone finds beautiful is very often subjective. But it seems strong to us that you would be saddened or disgusted by the Buddleja.

Beauty is personal, agreed, but beauty is simply also universal. Your favorite color may still be black, no doubt you will be cheered by the vibrant colors of the Butterfly bush. The lance-shaped Buddleja comes in lilac, pink and white.

A magnet for butterflies

Why is the Buddleja called the Butterfly Bush? You don't have to look far. Does it resemble a butterfly in appearance? No, not really. Does it show off beautiful colors and emerge as an absolute beauty during the summer months? Definitely!

But even more than that, the buddleja is a true fragrance bomb. Its sweet honey scent works like a magnet for butterflies. It provides our little winged friends with more than a few "little happy moments", rest assured. Both the atalanta, the European peacock, the speckled wood and the small tortoiseshell are fans!

Bet it won't be long before you too fall for the Buddleja? And if you even then smell its lovely flowers, you'll immediately be catapulted back to the heyday of the Meli. Remember?

Keeping the Buddleja happy

Pamper the Butterfly bush by not giving it wet feet, letting it enjoy the sun (in moderation) and watering it regularly. Some extra vitamins? A pruning? You can, but be careful. Check the product page for additional tips around maintenance.

The Butterfly bush is social and thus anything but afraid of good company. Combine with ornamental grasses or lavender. It is not averse to roses either and it feels at home near Hibiscus.

More little happy moments? Discover the range of My Goodness.