Buddleja davidii 'Fascination'


Buddleja davidii 'Fascination' is an old American cultivar raised by Paul Schmidt at Youngstown, Ohio, in 1940. The name of the shrub has often been misspelt 'Fascinating'. Whilst most authorities accept that they are one and the same, at least one treats 'Fascinating' as a separate cultivar owing to the difference in flower colour in some specimens. However, the difference in colour may be explained by the effect of soil pH and other factors.

Description

'Fascination' grows to a height and spread of 2.0 m. The flowers are usually a rich lilac-pink, forming terminal panicles 20-25 cm in length; the foliage is dark green.

Cultivation

'Fascination' is widely cultivated on both sides of the Atlantic. Hardiness: USDA zones 7-9.

Hybrids

The cultivar was hybridized with 'West Hill' and B. davidii var. nanhoensis 'Alba' to create the popular 'Pink Delight', which was accorded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, and 'Summer Beauty' by Horticultural Research International at Boskoop in the Netherlands.

Synonymy