Buddleja × pikei 'Hever' remains in commerce in the UK and France. Rather tender, a sunny location against a wall is to be preferred. Buddleja × pikei Buddleja × pikei is an English hybrid of "Buddleja alternifolia" and "Buddleja crispa" raised by Mr A V Pike, Head Gardener at Hever Castle, Kent. The cultivar was described and named in 1950 by Harold Fletcher, Regius Keeper at the RBG Edinburgh. "Buddleja" × "pikei" is a lax, straggly, deciduous, free-flowering shrub growing to a height of about 1.5 m. The leaves are < 15 cm long, narrowly lanceolate with scalloped margins. The inflorescences are terminal
Hever Castle during which time it was leased to various private tenants. In 1903, it was acquired and restored by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who used it as a family residence. He added the Italian Garden to display his collection of statuary and ornaments. In 1983, the Astor family sold the castle to Broadland Properties Limited, which is run by the Guthrie family. Hever Castle is now a tourist attraction, drawing on its links to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, its mazes, gardens and lake. There is an annual events programme with assorted events, including jousting tournaments and archery displays