Buddleja × pikei 'Hever' inflorescences are terminal panicles, 15 – 30 cm long, of lilac-mauve flowers. 'Hever' remains in cultivation in the UK and Europe. Hardy to - 15 C., a specimen is held as part of the NCCPG national collection at Longstock Park Nursery in Hampshire. Buddleja × pikei 'Hever' Buddleja × pikei 'Hever' is a cultivar of the English hybrid of "Buddleja alternifolia" and "Buddleja crispa" raised by Mr A V Pike while Head Gardener at Hever Castle, Kent. 'Hever' was accorded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Merit in 1953. 'Hever' is a lax, straggly, deciduous, free-flowering shrub growing to a
Hever Castle is now open to the public as a tourist attraction. There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. The second period was when the castle, then in need of repair, was converted into a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, younger brother of Thomas Bolyen, Master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge. He added a Tudor dwelling within the walls. The third period of repair and renovation was in the 20th century, when it was acquired by William Waldorf