Bottlebrush buckeye is a handsome shrub that has memorable long fluffy white flower clusters in early July. It is useful as an understory planting in woodland gardens, as a specimen plant, or in a shrub border. The wonderful, coarse-textured, dark green compound leaves turn rich buttery yellow in the fall.
This is a large shrub that tends to sucker and, over time, will grow twice as broad as it is high, so it should only be used in large-scale plantings.
Also known as Aesculus macrostachya.
- Family (English) Soapberry (formerly Horse-chestnut)
- Family (botanic) Sapindaceae (formerly Hippocastanaceae)
- Tree or plant type Shrub
- Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
- Native locale North America
- Size range Large shrub (more than 8 feet)
- Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
- Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8
- Soil preference Acid soil, Alkaline soil, Moist, well-drained soil
- Drought tolerance Moderately sensitive
- Other tolerances Alkaline soil, clay soil
- Season of interest early summer, midsummer
- Flower color and fragrance White
- Shape or form Multi-stemmed, Thicket-forming
- Growth rate Slow
