Bottlebrush Buckeye is a wide-spreading, multi-stemmed, suckering shrub that is native to the Southeastern US. It is an excellent summer-flowering shrub for moderately shady areas of the landscape. It is slow to mature, but long-lived and absolutely worth the wait! The deep green, palmately compound leaves are the perfect background for the profusion of erect, white, cylindrical, 8-12" long panicles which resemble bottle brushes, giving this Buckeye its common name. If grown in moist to average soil, especially with adequate moisture in the establishment years, and partial shade to protect from leaf scorch, this plant will hold onto its leaves long past other species of Buckeye and be free of pest and diseases. It turns a spectacular, vivid golden yellow in the fall.
Bottlebrush Buckeye forms a dense, rounded thicket that is virtually impenetrable to weeds and undergrowth, assisting with erosion control and stopping invasive species from getting established. Mature clumps provide valuable protective cover to nesting birds and other wildlife. The flowers attract many pollinators, including Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, and at least 32 species of Lepidoptera* feed on the foliage in their larval stages.
The ornamental and practical landscape value is high for the Bottlebrush Buckeye. It can be used under shade trees, massed in shrub borders, as a large lawn specimen shrub, planted at the edge of the woods or as hedging. They are slow-growing, so even in relatively small gardens, they take a long time to outgrow their space and are easy to manage. These shrubs rarely require pruning, but can be rejuvenated by cutting them to the ground if necessary.
Sources:
Native Trees, Shrubs, & Vines by William Cullina
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr
*Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
OSU-Buckeye Yard and Garden
