Buddleja × pikei 'Hever' 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 height of about 2 m. The leaves are of two different forms; the terminal leaves similar to those of its female parent "B. alternifolia" whilst the leaves along the lower section of the branch resemble those of the male parent "B. crispa". The
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