Buddleia Harlequin
Overview
Buddleia Harlequin is a spectacular variegated butterfly bush that brings foliage interest alongside abundant summer flowers to your garden. This hardy deciduous shrub stands out from other buddlejas with its striking cream-edged leaves and rich purple flower spikes, making it an exceptional choice for gardeners who want ornamental foliage appeal combined with outstanding wildlife value. The variegated leaves provide continuous visual interest even when not in flower.
Key Features
Flower Colour: Deep reddish-purple with orange centres
Foliage: Variegated grey-green leaves with bold cream margins
Flowering Period: July to October
Mature Height: 3.0 metres
Mature Spread: 3.0 metres
Fragrance: Honey-scented blooms
Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H5)
Soil Type: Well-draining, fertile soil
Aspect: Full sun for best variegation
Plant Description
Harlequin produces densely packed, conical flower spikes measuring 15-20cm in length, displaying rich reddish-purple blooms with bright orange centres. However, it's the exceptional variegated foliage that makes this variety truly distinctive. Each lance-shaped leaf features grey-green centres bordered by bold cream-white margins, creating a bright, eye-catching effect throughout the growing season. The variegation is most pronounced in full sun positions, where the cream edges become particularly vivid and well-defined. Young shoots often display pink tinges, adding another layer of colour interest to this already stunning plant.
Growing Conditions
This attractive shrub performs best in full sun positions where the variegated foliage develops its most striking colouration. Whilst tolerant of partial shade, reduced light levels can cause the cream margins to fade and become less pronounced. Harlequin thrives in well-draining, fertile soil and demonstrates good drought tolerance once established. The variegated foliage can be more sensitive to extreme conditions than plain-leaved varieties, benefiting from consistent moisture during hot, dry periods.
Planting and Care
Planting: Plant between March and May or September to November for optimal establishment. Choose a sunny position to maximise variegation intensity. Prepare the soil with organic matter and ensure good drainage to prevent winter waterlogging.
Watering: Maintain consistent moisture during the establishment period and throughout the first growing season. Once mature, water during extended dry spells, particularly in hot weather when variegated leaves can be more prone to stress.
Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser in early spring to support both flowering and foliage development. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds which can reduce flower production and potentially affect variegation quality.
Pruning: Prune moderately in late February or early March, cutting back by about half rather than the hard pruning suitable for plain-leaved varieties. This preserves some mature wood that often displays the finest variegation. Remove any shoots with all-green leaves promptly to maintain the variegated character.
Foliage Management
The variegated nature of Harlequin requires some additional attention to maintain its distinctive appearance. Occasionally, shoots may revert to plain green foliage - these should be removed promptly at their point of origin to prevent the green growth from dominating the plant. The best variegation typically occurs on mature wood, so avoid overly severe pruning that removes all established framework.
Wildlife Benefits
Despite its ornamental foliage focus, Harlequin provides excellent wildlife value. The fragrant purple flower spikes attract butterflies including Red Admirals, Peacocks, and Small Tortoiseshells, whilst the extended flowering season supports pollinators from midsummer through to autumn. Bees and hoverflies also benefit from the abundant nectar source. The variegated foliage may actually help attract beneficial insects by providing visual contrast that makes the flowers more noticeable.
Garden Design Uses
This versatile shrub excels where both flowers and foliage contribute to the garden display. The variegated leaves make it valuable for brightening dark corners of borders, creating focal points in mixed plantings, and providing year-round structure in ornamental schemes. It works particularly well in cottage garden settings where the combination of decorative foliage and wildlife-friendly flowers fits perfectly. The cream leaf margins complement white, pink, and pale yellow flowers beautifully.
Seasonal Interest
Spring: Fresh variegated foliage emerges with pink-tinted young shoots creating a tapestry of colours
Early Summer: Fully developed variegated leaves reach peak intensity, creating bright focal points
Late Summer: Purple flower spikes complement the cream-margined foliage for maximum ornamental impact
Autumn: Flowers continue until frosts whilst foliage may develop autumn tints before dropping
Winter: Bare stems reveal the plant's architectural structure
Companion Plants
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Lavender plants (Purple varieties)
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Rose bushes (Pink or white shrub roses)
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Heuchera (Purple or silver-leaved varieties)
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Artemisia (Silver foliage plants)
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Penstemon (Purple or white forms)
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Hosta (Variegated varieties)
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Astilbe (White or pink plumes)
Special Considerations
The variegated nature of Harlequin means it may grow slightly more slowly than plain-leaved buddlejas and can be somewhat more particular about growing conditions. However, this is more than compensated for by the exceptional ornamental value it provides throughout the growing season. The cream leaf margins can occasionally show browning in very hot, dry conditions, but this is usually temporary and resolved with adequate watering.
Additional Notes
Buddleja Harlequin represents an excellent choice for gardeners seeking plants that earn their space through multiple seasons of interest. While many shrubs provide either good flowers or attractive foliage, Harlequin delivers both, making it particularly valuable in smaller gardens where every plant must work hard.
The variegated foliage makes this variety especially photogenic and provides excellent cutting material for flower arrang
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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