The Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society awarded Lo & Behold ‘Purple Haze’ buddleia a silver medal during the 23rd Groot Groen Plus trade show held October 2-4 in the Netherlands. Before the start of the show, the respected international jury evaluated 18 novelty plants to ensure entries were “sufficiently, innovatively new.” The silver medal is the first award for ‘Purple Haze’ and the ninth for the Lo & Behold series.
Introduced to retail in 2012, Lo & Behold ‘Purple Haze’ was the second introduction to the groundbreaking series of dwarf, sterile buddleia. Its low, horizontal branches produce an abundance of dark purple blooms that radiate downward. The graceful flowers bloom continuously from mid-summer to frost, without the need to deadhead. It is the largest of the Lo & Behold line, reaching 2-3’ tall and wide.
The Lo & Behold series, bred by Dr. Denny Warner of North Carolina State University, revolutionized buddleia. Typically, the gardening favorite would reach six or more feet tall, present a weedy habit, and spread unwanted seedlings to the point where some states, like Oregon, passed legislation banning it. The Lo & Behold series – which also includes ‘Blue Chip’, ‘Ice Chip’, and ‘Lilac Chip’ – addresses each of these issues to produce a compact, dwarf plant with sterile flowers. All four varieties are approved for sale in Oregon.
In 2014, the Lo & Behold line of sterile butterfly bush will expand to include ‘Pink Micro Chip’ buddleia and ‘Blue Chip Jr.’ Petit pink blooms cover ‘Pink Micro Chip’, which is among the smallest of the series at 18-24” tall and wide. ‘Blue Chip Jr.’ is an improved ‘Blue Chip’ with a more compact habit and less brittle, silver-green foliage.For more information or high-resolution electronic photos of these plants, please contact Shannon Springer at shannon@springmeadownursery.com.
About Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
Proven Winners ColorChoice is the brand name of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., a market leader in flowering shrubs, potted liners, and starter plants. Located in Grand Haven, Michigan, Spring Meadow Nursery has over 500 varieties in their catalog, including over 200 varieties marketed under the Proven Winners ColorChoice brand, including Incrediball® Hydrangea, ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea, Wine & Roses® Weigela, Quick Fire® Hydrangea, and Lo & Behold® Butterfly Bush. For more information, visit www.provenwinners-shrubs.com and www.springmeadownursery.com.
Source: Proven Winners® ColorChoice