Simcoe County Master Gardeners
Grow Natives!
PLANT PROFILE
COMMON NAME: Buttonbush
BINOMIAL: Cephalanthus occidentalis
| Family | Rubiaceae |
| Cdn Native Range | All of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI |
| Natural habitat | wetlands, or areas that stay wet all or most of the year |
| Type | woody, deciduous wetland shrub |
| Features | showy flower and seed ball, winter interest |
| Growth habit | multi-stemmed |
| Mature height | 3.6 m (12 ft) |
| Mature spread | 2.4 m (8 ft) |
| Life span | moderate to fast-growing, will live 10–15 years |
| Cdn Hardiness Zone | 5–7 |
| Growing conditions | full sun/part sun/part shade |
| Soil conditions | wet soil |
| Watering needs | unnecessary if planted in properly wet conditions |
| Fertilizer needs | little or no supplemental fertilizer |
| Tolerance | standing water, clay soil |
| Maintenance rank | low |
| Maintenance needs | prune early spring if needed to shape or to revitalize; can be cut back to near the ground; no serious disease or pest problems |
| Bloom | showy globular flowers and seed clusters; tiny white 5 lobed tubular slightly fragrant flowers arrive in June; seed clusters provide winter interest |
| Fruit | n/a |
| Pollinator support | food source for hummingbirds, butterflies, insect pollinators, seeds for birds |
| Environmental support | insect and bird support, food source, erosion protection |
| Garden Use | back of flower bed/border, rain garden, wet boggy area, edge of pond/stream |
| Risks & Cautions | do not let it dry out |
References: Ontario Trees and Shrubs, www.ontariotrees.com; In Our Nature, inournature.ca; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfindersearch.aspx
Photo Credits:
Buttonbush – flower (credit: John Rush, Flickr CC)
Buttonbush – shrub (credit: unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Buttonbush – seedheads (credit: Austin R. Kelly, CC BY 4.0)
