One of the more unusual forms of Buddleja – globosa has orange ball like fragrant flowers in loose clusters at the tips of the branches, from summer through to autumn here! As you can see from the pics (taken today) it is a magnet for bees! This Buddleja won’t seed around like Buddleja Lochinch for example. Give it plenty of room to grow as it will spread to a good 6 to 8 feet if allowed! I tend to cut back around a third of branches to the ground – either late autumn or early spring, along with any dead or diseased branches. This shrub is growing in a particularly moist part of the garden, with no shelter from westerly winds, but copes really well in these conditions! I underplant with Cotoneaster horizontalis, which is evergreen and at this time of year has lovely red berries which the birds enjoy!

Bee on Buddleja globosa

Buddleja globosa underplanted with Cotoneaster horizontalis

This is another one of those beds which doesn’t need too much work on it during the year! A quick tidy up in autumn or spring – that’s it! Mind you when I first planted these shrubs, I had 3 x  Stipa Gigantea grasses in this bed, and they are still there – but now need to come out as they haven’t flowered this year as there’s just way too much foliage above their heads! I could cut the Buddleja harder back, but I have a new border to put them into, which will make the border mature so much quicker! Also behind the Buddleja are a few Cornus  alba ‘ Sibirica Variegata’ with lovely red stems in the winter months! All these plants love the moist soil and they are doing a good job of keeping the surrounding grassy area just that bit drier, as this whole area used to flood and have water sitting  above the soil for most of the winter months – just imagine the dogs paws after having been out running in all that!!

Cotoneaster horizontalis