Cultivar 'Autumn Beauty' | Origin Beijing, China | |
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Similar Buddleja davidii 'African Q, Buddleja davidii 'Blue Hori, Buddleja davidii 'Adokeep | ||
Buddleja davidii 'Autumn Beauty' is a British cultivar distinguished solely by its comparatively late flowering, from August through to October. The shrub was cloned from a plant grown from seed sent from Beijing to Paignton Zoo, one of the four NCCPG national buddleja collection holders. The atypical phenology of the shrub has cast doubt on its taxonomy as a variety or form of Buddleja davidii, however its flowers, foliage and structure are all very similar to the species.
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'Autumn Beauty' has been registered by Christine Yeo of the Pleasant View Nursery in Devon. Despite its short history of cultivation, the shrub has already acquired a confusing number of other names; see Synonymy.
Description
'Autumn Beauty' makes a dense, vigorous, multi-branched shrub growing up to 4 m high, bearing comparatively small terminal panicles, 15–20 cm long, of pale lilac-purple flowers complemented by narrow lanceolate pale green leaves.
Cultivation
'Autumn Beauty' is a relative newcomer, restricted to the UK, where it remains a comparative rarity, and stocked by only a few nurseries. It is included in the NCCPG national collection held by Longstock Park Nursery near Stockbridge, Hampshire. The shrub has gained popularity with butterfly gardeners as a source of nectar for species such as the Red Admiral still on the wing in autumn. To this end, lepidopterist Clive Farrell planted a 100 m-long hedge of the shrub at his home in Dorset. Hardiness: USDA zones 5–9.