Buddleia Grand Cascade
Overview
Buddleia Grand Cascade is a magnificent weeping butterfly bush that brings dramatic architectural form and exceptional wildlife value to your garden. This distinctive deciduous shrub breaks away from the traditional upright buddleja habit with its gracefully arching, pendulous branches that create a stunning waterfall effect of cascading purple blooms. Perfect for gardeners seeking a statement plant that combines structural interest with outstanding pollinator appeal.
Key Features
Flower Colour: Rich violet-purple with orange centres
Flowering Period: July to October
Mature Height: 2.0 metres
Mature Spread: 2.5 metres
Growth Habit: Weeping, cascading form
Fragrance: Sweet honey-scented blooms
Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H5)
Soil Type: Well-draining, fertile soil
Aspect: Full sun to partial shade
Plant Description
Grand Cascade produces an abundance of flower spikes along its gracefully arching branches, creating a spectacular waterfall of colour from midsummer onwards. The individual flower spikes measure 20-25cm in length and display rich violet-purple blooms with distinctive bright orange centres. The weeping growth habit sets this variety apart from traditional upright buddlejas, with flexible branches that curve downwards to create an elegant fountain-like silhouette. The narrow, grey-green leaves complement the cascading form perfectly, providing an attractive foliage backdrop that enhances the dramatic flowering display.
Growing Conditions
This adaptable shrub thrives in most garden conditions but achieves its finest cascading form in well-draining, fertile soil with good sun exposure. Full sun positions encourage the most prolific flowering and help maintain the plant's distinctive weeping habit. Grand Cascade demonstrates excellent drought tolerance once established, though consistent moisture during the growing season will promote the most impressive displays. The plant benefits from shelter from strong winds to protect its graceful branching structure.
Planting and Care
Planting: Best planted between March and May or September to November. Choose a location with adequate space for the mature spread. Dig a planting hole twice the width of the root ball and improve heavy soils with organic matter and coarse grit for enhanced drainage.
Watering: Water thoroughly during establishment and maintain consistent moisture through the first growing season. Once mature, the plant requires minimal supplemental watering except during prolonged dry spells.
Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser in early spring to encourage vigorous growth and abundant flowering. A mulch of well-rotted compost around the base will help retain moisture and provide ongoing nutrition.
Pruning: Prune selectively in late February or early March, removing about one-third of the oldest branches to maintain the cascading shape. Avoid hard pruning as this can destroy the plant's distinctive weeping form. Light pruning and deadheading will encourage continued flowering.
Wildlife Benefits
Buddleia Grand Cascade provides exceptional value for wildlife gardens. The extensive flowering display along cascading branches offers multiple feeding stations for butterflies, with the plant's large size supporting greater numbers of visiting insects than compact varieties. Peacock butterflies, Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, and Small Tortoiseshells are frequent visitors, whilst the accessible flower positioning makes it particularly appealing to larger butterfly species. Bees, hoverflies, and beneficial garden insects also benefit from the extended nectar source.
Garden Design Uses
This striking shrub excels as a specimen plant where its architectural form can be fully appreciated. The weeping habit makes it perfect for positioning on slopes, raised beds, or elevated positions where the cascading branches can flow naturally. It works beautifully as a focal point in larger borders, creates dramatic impact when planted beside water features, and provides excellent screening when used in groups. The unusual form makes it ideal for contemporary garden designs whilst maintaining classic cottage garden appeal.
Positioning and Space Requirements
Grand Cascade requires adequate space to accommodate its mature spread and showcase its distinctive form. Allow at least 2.5-3 metres spacing from other substantial plantings. The plant looks particularly effective when positioned where the cascading branches can be viewed from multiple angles, such as at the corner of borders or as an island planting in lawn areas.
Companion Plants
-
Miscanthus sinensis (Ornamental grasses)
-
Aster species (Michaelmas Daisies)
-
Verbena bonariensis
-
Agapanthus (Blue varieties)
-
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Seasonal Progression
Spring: New growth emerges on gracefully arching framework, establishing the characteristic weeping form
Early Summer: Foliage fills out along cascading branches, creating anticipation for the flowering display
Late Summer: Peak flowering period with magnificent cascades of purple blooms creating waterfall effect
Autumn: Continued flowering until frosts, with developing seed heads adding textural interest
Winter: Bare cascading structure provides sculptural garden feature
Additional Notes
The weeping form of Grand Cascade makes it less suitable for small spaces but provides unmatched impact where room allows. Regular deadheading maintains the flowering display and prevents excessive self-seeding, though some gardeners appreciate the naturalised seedlings that may appear in suitable garden areas.
This variety represents a significant advancement in buddleja breeding, combining the beloved wildlife benefits of traditional butterfly bushes with distinctive architectural form that adds year-round structural interest to garden landscapes. The cascading habit makes it particularly photogenic and creates stunning visual impact when viewed against contrasting backgrounds or open sky.
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.
No posts found