Bottlebrush Buckeye

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

8 - 12 Feet

Mature Spread

12 - 16 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 9

Medium-sized shrubs for woodland gardens can be difficult to find. Bottlebrush Buckeye is the perfect medium-sized shrub that adds instant impact as an understory planting in woodland gardens or as a specimen in a cottage garden setting. Mounds of deeply textured foliage in the deepest green, with spikes of creamy white flowers cover this deciduous shrub late in the summer. The fall foliage of Bottlebrush Buckeye is not to be missed and rivals some of the most showy Japanese Maples.

The hardy Bottlebrush Buckeye is popular with landscape designers and botanic gardens, and it’s sure to be a favorite in your backyard. It grows to a height and spread of 8-10 feet. Botanically named Aesculus parviflora, it adds great early autumn color and interest to your garden when the leaves turn bright yellow. The fall display is stunning and especially striking when grouped or massed together in shrub borders. Bottlebrush Buckeye is a vigorous grower while being low maintenance. Bird watchers and gardeners will adore this showy plant; it attracts butterflies and songbirds.

It features large towers of pyramidal, white flower clusters from July through August. The late-season blooming of Bottlebrush Buckeye helps to feed native bees that are still active before fall. Hummingbirds also appreciate the late-season supply of nectar. The blooms even work as additions to fall cut-flower arrangements. Birds will take advantage of its large mounding shape for cover and protection.

The Bottlebrush Buckeye’s growth habit is typically large and mounding. Bottlebrush Buckeye is a native to the Southeastern United States, mostly living in the woods and moist ravines of Alabama, Georgia, and northern Florida. As a native plant, there are very few pests or diseases that bother it. Deer and rabbits do not like the thickly textured leaves, and it is hardy in zones 5-9. Bottlebrush Buckeye is also helpful for erosion control and soil stabilization on hills and slopes.

Bottlebrush Buckeye Care

Bottlebrush Buckeye is very much a woodland plant and likes a spot that is part sun to part shade. Full, direct sunlight may scorch the leaves. It grows best in rich, evenly moist, and well-draining soil and is intolerant of dry soil. It prefers fertile, slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5-7) soil. Make sure to keep this plant’s roots moist for the first 1-2 years before it is established. Making sure to mulch around the base every fall with an organic compost will help to enrich the soil and increase moisture retention. 

Pruning is not usually necessary for this shrub. You can prune lightly in the fall when the leaves drop in order to remove dead or dying branches. Fertilizing should not be needed for this native shrub. The flower buds are formed on new growth from the summer. Bottlebrush Buckeye has no serious insect or disease issues, and is more tolerant of disease and insects than most buckeyes.

Bottlebrush Buckeye Spacing

Bottlebrush Buckeye is a much wider shrub than it is tall. The height is 8-12 feet with a width of 12-16 feet. If planting as part of a native hedgerow, make sure that there is at least 12 feet, center on center, between shrubs. In a smaller garden, plant this Buckeye as a specimen shrub. Make sure to give plenty of room at the base when planting herbaceous perennials or annuals. Bottlebrush Buckeye is excellent for borders, specimen plants, or under shade trees.