Black Knight Butterfly Bush

The darkest flower spikes in the butterfly bush world — deep blue-purple, honey-scented plumes that draw butterflies and hummingbirds from midsummer until frost.

'Black Knight' (Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight') is the classic for a reason: long, arching panicles packed in the richest violet-black of any butterfly bush, set against gray-green willow-like foliage. Each fragrant spike opens from summer into fall, and the fast-growing, fountain-shaped habit fills out to a graceful 4 to 6 feet in a single season. Plant it where you want movement and color — this is a magnet for pollinators and a reliable source of late-season fragrance and cut stems.

Why growers choose 'Black Knight'

• The deepest color in the class. Its blue-purple flowers run nearly black at the base, a saturated tone few other cultivars match.
• Months of bloom. Flowering carries from summer through fall, and removing spent spikes keeps fresh spikes coming right up to frost.
• A true pollinator magnet. The nectar-rich, honey-scented panicles pull in butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds all season.
• Fast and forgiving. A fast grower in full sun, it shrugs off heat and lean soil once established and reaches mature size quickly.
• Deer tend to leave it alone. The aromatic foliage is generally passed over by browsing deer, a welcome trait in country and woodland-edge gardens.

Use 'Black Knight' as an informal flowering hedge or screen, anchor it at the back of a sunny mixed border, or give it pride of place in a dedicated pollinator or cutting garden where its color and fragrance do the most work.