red buckeye
Aesculus pavia
MBG Plant of Merit 2003
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size12 to 15 feet tall12 to 15 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Shrub , tree
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Bright red
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a tree for pollinator gardens, specimen planting, and woodland edges. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Bright red spring flowers draw hummingbirds and bees, and the leaves drop by the end of summer. Deer tend to browse other plants first. The seeds and young shoots are poisonous if eaten.
Pairs well with Blue wild indigo, Cinnamon fern, and Switchgrass.
Native range
North America.