Buddleja 'Ice Chip' is a hybrid derived from Buddleja 'Blue Chip' in the plant breeding program of Dr. Dennis Werner of North Carolina State University in 2005. Buddleja 'Ice Chip' is a dwarf, wide and low spreading perennial, making it appropriate for use as a ground cover. The foliage is very dense and full, and the blossoms fragrant. This variety is sterile, continuously blooming, and requires no deadheading. 'Ice Chip' has a neat, mounded form that sends its long plumes of tiny white flowers, up and out of the foliage all summer and into fall. ' Ice Chip' grows in average, well-drained soils in full sun. It may become weedy with diminished flowering if not grown in full sun. Like all Buddleja , it requires moderate moisture and may suffer from root rot if the soil is consistently wet. When planted in clay soil, the soil should be amended with compost and the base of the plant should be planted slightly above ground level. It is drought tolerant once established. It should be watered occasionally, more in extreme heat or when grown in containers. 'Ice Chip' may die back to the ground in colder zones and resume growth from the crown the following spring. In regions where above-ground shoots survive over winter, pruning to the ground in late winter when new leaves appear at the base will produce more vigorous growth in the spring, give the plant a better shape, and produce more flowers. Because the plants produce few seeds and infrequently sucker in the garden, this non-invasive cultivar is approved for sale in Oregon and Washington.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Often confused withBuddleja 'Miss Pearl'
Fills a similar nicheBuddleja Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip Jr.'Buddleja Lo & Behold® 'Lilac Chip'Buddleja Lo & Behold® 'Pink Micro Chip'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
silvery-green foliage, green above and grey-green below
Fall color
Insignificant
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White flowers bloom on new wood.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Male anthers are malformed are lacking, little pollen is produced. It is highly female sterile with few viable seeds.