buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
GCA Plant of the Year 2021
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size5 to 12 feet tall4 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a shrub for rain gardens, pollinator gardens, and meadows. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Its white, spherical flower heads look like pincushions and attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Round clusters of nutlets last through winter, and ducks and other water birds eat the seeds. Deer tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Spicebush, Blue star, Big bluestem, and Black gum.
Native range
North America.