Gardening on the Cay: Set “the table” with Bottlebrush Buckeye

By: Gina Ginther, Gardening on the Cay

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas describes the Bottlebrush Buckeye as a “mound-shaped, thicket-forming, deciduous shrub with picturesque, ascending, candelabra-like branching. Lowest branches are horizontal and often rest on the ground”. The operative word, to this writer, is “candelabra”. With a light requirement of part shade, the Bottlebrush Buckeye is the perfect plant to set your “understory table”. In the summer, there are twelve-inch feathery white cylindrical blooms standing atop the foliage. They are punctuated by pink stamens and red anthers that bloom in the heat of the summer. There is also a smooth shiny seed that resembles chestnuts or buckeyes, enclosed by a bright yellow husk. In the fall, the large palmate leaves consisting of five to seven leaflets change from deep green to a glorious bright, buttery yellow.

Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora / USDA Native Status: L48 (N), needs moist, well- drained soil and although it will grow in full sun, it is partial to full shade. It thrives in USDA Zones 5 to 9A, and can be planted year around. The plant propagates from suckers but can be grown from seeds. Seeds must be planted as soon as the husks open, don’t allow them to dry out! Plants grow 6-12 feet tall and when happy, can grow just as wide and form thickets. Basal shoots can soar two to four feet their first season. Mature stems grow much more slowly. It can take ten years to reach mature height. Pruning is rarely required because the shrub looks best in its natural shape, but you can prune lightly when flowers fade, cutting at a node shortly below the tip of the stem. It is drought sensitive and should be watered in dry periods. Bottlebrush

Buckeye comes in white to cream and pink to red shades. It attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and honeybees and has been called a pollinator heaven. There are no serious insect or disease issues and it is deer and rabbit resistant. A quick online search will help you learn more about this shrub and how you can incorporate it into your landscape plan.

The Bottlebrush Buckeye is a vastly underused plant that is a standout in the garden or alone as a specimen. It can be used for borders or scattered throughout an understory garden. As we enter the fall planting season, think of your garden as “a table’ and consider Bottlebrush

Buckeye as the perfect “candelabra” centerpiece!

October Garden Tasks
– Repot potted plants
– Winterize lawns
– Mulch falling leaves in place
– Plant spring blooming bulbs
– Assess and treat for pests

Be on the lookout for early frosts and freezes!