If Gurney's doesn't know... how about trying for a nursery with labeled blue varieties?

Cornwall Blue (8 feet) is at Bluestone.

I have Adonis Blue (shorter at 5 feet) and love it. Bought mine locally, but it is carried by Bluestone, too.

There is an even shorter, compact buddleia 'Blue Chip' that is from here in NC. Available from Plant Delights and probably other nurseries, too.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornwall Blue

The reason it isn't named is because it is probably a seedling plant and seed is variable. So you are never quite sure exactly what you are going to get. If you want something specific you will have to buy from a nursery that sells named cultivars such as the one in the link above.

It's been many, many years since Gurney's was a quality nursery. Don't buy from them.

silverneedle, just out of curiosity, why are you contemplating buying this particular butterfly bush? I don't know what part of the country you live in, but butterfly bushes have become so popular in recent years with such a profusion of outstanding new cultivars that in most places south of Zone 4 or 5 one can't hardly walk five feet at a garden center without bumping into some kind of butterfly bush or other. And a lot of them are big-ish plants with blue-ish flowers. So there doesn't appear to be anything special about the one at Gurney's, and I don't see why you would choose to purchase an unnamed variety from a mail-order nursery that's mediocre at best, and borderline disreputable. Frankly, if it were me, and I was going to buy a blue butterfly bush through the mail, I'd rather pay more for a nice 'Blue Chip' from Plant Delights than a get-what-you-pay-for special from Gurney's. But it's up to you.

As for its identity, obviously it's hard to say for sure from their description and photo, and that may be a red flag in and of itself. There are so many named varieties of buddleia nowadays that if they're not even bothering to promote a cultivar name for it, that ought to tell you something. wonbyherwitz mentioned a couple of the nicer blue-flowered butterfly bush varieties in the trade, and I would add a plug for my personal favorite, which is one called 'Ellen's Blue.' And for all we know, the ones that Gurney's is selling could be one of these varieties, but it's not clear. For what it's worth, from my experience in the nursery industry I would think it's unlikely that Gurney's is selling variable seedling butterfly bushes, as clematisintegrifolia suggested. Buddleias can definitely be grown from seed, but at least east of the Rockies, that's not usually the most efficient way of mass-producing them in a nursery setting. Their stem cuttings root so readily and grow so rapidly that that's almost always how they're grown except for breeding situations. So, rather than seedlings, I would surmise that Gurney's may have one or more big, old blue-flowered butterfly bushes that they use as stock plants and take a bazillion cuttings from every year. It could very well be that those old plants either don't have a cultivar name, or it's long-forgotten. So what they're selling may still be asexually propagated, but just not a named variety. But it's hard to know for sure. Have you tried calling Gurney's and asking them the identity of their butterfly bushes?

Butterfly bushes have to be the easiest things to propagate too. A few small branches (6" or less) rooted for me just by sticking in the ground and keeping moist. The following year I had 4' bushes.

Wow, I didn't know that Gurney's is no longer reputable. I used them years ago and were happy with the service. I am grateful for the advice and will look in local nurseries instead.

A couple years ago we were going to be travelling near the mail address of Gurney's and called to see if we could drop in and visit. They said they were only a mailing office and none of their plants were grown within 100 miles. We've not sent an order since.

Chris

silverneedle, I wasn't really meaning to slander Gurney's; the exact phrase I used was "borderline disreputable," and even that may have been a bit of an overstatement on my part. But their overall reputation has certainly suffered in recent years, as some of the posts on this thread allude to, and you can find copious more similar anecdotes about Gurney's across GardenWeb and elsewhere on the internet. A lot of people have had bad experiences with them, or at least unsatisfying ones, and obviously the mere fact that they're selling unlabeled, unidentified butterfly bushes when there are so many outstanding named varieties out there nowadays seems pretty cheap. None of this is to say that you can't or shouldn't buy something from them, though. Especially in the case of something like a butterfly bush, which is pretty foolproof. So I'm sure that if you bought one from them it would be fine. But it is worth bearing in mind a certain amount of caveat emptor in situations like this, since the reality is that oftenÂalthough certainly not alwaysÂone does get what one pays for. But as long as you're a careful and savvy shopper, which we all should really always be anyway, I'm sure you'll be okay. And I'm definitely interested to hear how it turns out. If you do buy (or have bought) the buddleia or anything else from Gurney's, please share your experiences with us. Thanks and good luck!