Bottlebrush Buckeye is Standout White-Flowering Shrub

Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is a relative of the horsechestnut and Ohio buckeye trees. This native shrub assumes a mounding shape with its 8 to 12 foot height and 8 to 15 foot width. It is hardy in Zones 4 through 8.

The leaves are beautiful with their coarse surface. The newly opened leaves are a bronze color that becomes a deep green during the summer and buttery yellow to greenish-yellow in the fall. The underside of the leaves is a grayish green with short hairs. The leaves grow in a palmate fashion of five leaflets, each leaflet being 8 inch long by 4 inch wide.

The flower buds on the bottlebrush buckeye have a waxy residue that helps to identify the shrub. The flowers arrive in late spring to mid summer depending on the growing area and are upright panicles made up of many hundreds of small (1/2 inch diameter) white flowers each with pink stamens with red tips that stand proud 1 inch from the petals. Each inflorescence resembles a bottle brush or a feather duster and grows at the end of a branch allowing for the best dramatic display and close-up viewing. Both butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers.

The spent flowers persist on the branches through the winter unless deadheaded.

Bottlebrush buckeye prefers moist, well-drained soil. The shrub grows and flowers well in either full sun or partial shade, and prefers a neutral to slightly acidic soil that in rich in organic matter. It will grow well beneath tall trees in a woodland setting. Bottlebrush buckeye is multi-stemmed but can be trained to a single leader.

Bottlebrush buckeye is a good choice for a woodland garden. It may have a place in larger shrub borders, and looks wonderful when planted en masse. Bottlebrush buckeye is a likely candidate for areas that require erosion control or planting to stabilize the soil. The suckering habit can be strong and needs to managed in a landscaped situation. Otherwise, give the plants a space where they can multiple and cover the area in a dense thicket. If the shrub becomes overgrown or lacks vigor, it can be pruned back severely to encourage fresh growth.

Bottlebrush buckeye is an excellent choice for the larger landscape. Planted as a specimen or en masse, this shrub is an asset for parks, golf courses, campuses, and along highways.

The fruit is a pear like capsule measuring 1 to 2 inches in length containing only one or a few nuts/seeds. The seeds and leaves are poisonous to both people and animals.

Bottlebrush buckeye is propagated from seed or root cuttings. The ripe seed should be collected and planted quickly to prevent drying out and to encourage germination. The shrub is available in the trade in containers or ball and burlap. Several cultivars are available including 'Serotina' and 'Rogers'.

Bottlebrush buckeye has few predators. It is somewhat susceptible to wilt and leaf scorch.

Sources

Aesculus parviflora, University of Connecticut, http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/aespar/aespar1.html
Aesculus parviflora, Hort Net, http://www.hort.net/profile/hip/aespa/
Aesculus parviflora, FloriData, http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/aesc_par.cfm
Aesculus parviflora, USDA, http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AEPA2
Aesculus parviflora, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AEPA2