July Shrub of the Month-Bottlebrush buckeye
Native to the south and eastern regions of St. Louis, bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, tolerates the soil and weather extremes of St. Louis well. Add to that the large, showy flowers, shade tolerance, and unique, deer-resistant foliage, and you have one fantastic plant.
Along with other aesculus like the horse chestnut and buckeye trees, the bottlebrush leaves are palmately compound and almost tropical looking, but unlike its cousins, bottlebrush buckeye does not suffer from leaf blotch or anthracnose.
The small, white flowers make up a large panicle up to 12″ long and give way to a light brown fruit capsule with a beautiful chestnut-brown ‘buckeye’ seed inside.
The double bottlebrush buckeye hedges at Missouri Botanical Garden are one of the most loved and most photographed areas, either when they bloom or when the golden fall color peaks.
Well-drained soil high in organic matter is preferred. Acidic soil is also preferred along with shade, although it will tolerate part sun.
Height is 8-12′ with a spread of up to 15′. The serotina variety grows a bit larger, up to 20′ with larger flower panicles and a later bloom time—both sucker and form colonies.
What I love about this plant
–The clean, tropical-looking foliage with excellent fall color.
-The large flower panicles.
-The shade and deer tolerance.
-The smooth, dark seeds that almost seemed polished.
What’s not so great
–Suckers can be an issue, so put bottlebrush buckeye where it can spread and do its thing without overtaking the rest of the garden.
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com, All rights reserved.
