PlantsShrubs & Vines
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Chicago-region native. Suited to zone 6a.
Button flowers for wet ground Fits Native Plant Gardens, Rain Gardens, Formal Gardens and Vertical Gardens.
Native Plant GardensRain GardensFormal GardensVertical GardensEasyShrubs & VinesAlso Rain GardenRain garden
- Light
- Full sun–part shade
- Moisture
- Moist–wet
- Mature size
- 6–10 ft
- Spacing
- 6–10 ft
- Bloom or harvest
- Flowers Jun–Aug
- How it spreads
- Rounded shrub
- What to buy
- Container or balled-and-burlapped; bare-root in early spring.
- When to plant
- Early Apr–May after soil thaws and drains; Sep–mid Oct for container/B&B. Bare-root: early spring.
In the design
Provide mature width; prune for access and renewal rather than forcing it into a small space.
