Topic: Compact, long-leaved buddleia ID ?

[hellohelenhere]

Hi all
I took surreptitious cuttings from a neighbour's buddleia the other day - I go on the principle that if it's sticking out enough to get in your way on the pavement, it's fair game - does that make me a bad person? :-D

It's a very compact bush, with glossy, dark-green leaves - the neatest buddleia I've ever seen. I don't know what colour the flowers are, as they've finished, but the spikes look quite long and pointed.

Does this ring a bell with anyone? I suppose I could knock on my neighbour's door and say 'you know your buddleia, that I nicked some of - er, do you know what it is?' :-)

[valmarg]

'glossy, dark green leaves' doesn't describe any Buddleia I know.   I suppose it's a bit late for a picture. ;D

valmarg

[caroline7758]

'glossy, dark green leaves' doesn't describe any Buddleia I know.   
valmarg

That's what I thought. Could it be a hebe?

[hellohelenhere]

I'll sneak back for a picture tomorrow. :-)

[hellohelenhere]

I should have said, by the way, 'glossy for a buddleia' - they're not shiny like holly or smooth like hebe. And they are greyish and soft on the underside. I'll get a pic later...

[ACE]

Was it a bit like this, without the flowers, This one is black knight

[hellohelenhere]

I don't *think* it's Black Knight, I have cuttings from one of those too, and the leaves are normal buddleia leaves, and the flowers aren't as spikey.
Here are some pics, let's see if this helps!

[hellohelenhere]

By the way, I can't ask the owner what it is - the house is 'To Let' and there's nobody living there...

[Tulipa]

I have a similar one to that, small, narrow leaves, it has a white flower, only ever grows to about 3ft tall.  I am really sorry, I don't know the name, so not much help really!

T.

[hellohelenhere]

I wonder if it could be one of these 'English Butterfly Series' ?
http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/purple_emperor.htm
Particularly, this one: "PURPLE EMPEROR™ has smaller mauve-purple flowers and has the tightest habit of the three due impart to the foliage being much narrower, almost strap like."

(It's most likely a purple variety, I would have noticed any extraordinary colour when it was in flower, as I often pass that garden.)

Sad as I am to see a plant name with 'TM' next to it... still a lovely compact bush. I might get some extra cuttings just to be sure.

[valmarg]

Well, having looked in the library, having seen your pictures, I would suggest buddleia lindleyana.  I've never seen a plant of it.  We have ab. alternifolia, and while the flowers look similar, insofar as they are down the stem, the leaves are too small.

Hope that helps. ;D

valmarg

[hellohelenhere]

Oooh, Valmarg - I think you might have it. It does sound like it:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57955/ - with the mention of the dark green leaves and the long racemes. However, half of the photos linked from that page look like something else entirely, with an almost wisteria-like flower and heart-shaped leaves - which might be 'Miss Vicie' cultivar of lindleyana:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78781/

Those posters, all in the USA I think, say it's very popular with butterflies, but a British gardener here claims that it is not:
http://www.butterflygarden.co.uk/plants/buddleia_lind.htm
I wonder if we have fewer butterflies that can cope with long, narrow flower tubes? (How I wish we had hummingbirds here, they are SO fantastic...) But then, hers may be the Miss Vicie, where the flower tubes do look exceptionally deep.

Thank you, Valmarg!

[littlebabybird]

Sad as I am to see a plant name with 'TM' next to it... still a lovely compact bush. I might get some extra cuttings just to be sure.

'TM'? probably being thick but whats that?
lbb

[hellohelenhere]

TM for 'Trademark' - they've copyrighted the species, or whatever the term is. Wrong, all wrong!

[hellohelenhere]

I mean the variety, not the species.. they can't baggsy the whole buddleia family...  :D