A native shrub with a lovely mounding shape, beautiful white blossoms that support pollinators, is generally pest and disease-free, and — oh yes — avoided by deer? Who wouldn’t want one — or more? The plant is bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), and you can probably find the straight species at a local nursery, as did I. Admittedly, it’s not evergreen, but other than that, it’s the complete package. In fact, “No better plant could be recommended as a lawn shrub,” according to Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (quoting W.J. Bean). Why this plant has been underutilized in American gardens is a mystery.
Bottlebrush buckeye — a native of the Southeast — beguiles with its large palmately compound leaves and its creamy panicles, which appear in early summer and do indeed resemble a bottlebrush. You’ll want to give the blooms a close inspection; the anthers are red and the filaments pink. This multi-stemmed, suckering shrub grows slowly but can eventually reach 7 to 10 feet tall and 12 to 15 feet wide. The leaves turn yellow in fall, which is when it produces “buckeyes” — the seed capsules, which each contain 1 to 3 seeds.
I planted my original bottlebrush buckeye over 25 years ago in partial shade, where it thrived despite the neglect of my early-motherhood years. It did some “mothering” of its own, spreading seedlings that my neighbor and I have welcomed into our yards. But not too many seedlings; it is far from aggressive in its spreading.
In the wild, bottlebrush buckeye grows in hardwood forests along river bluffs. It prefers moist soil; as to drought tolerance, the experts are not in agreement, though it may tolerate some drought, but NOT in its early years of establishment. In our area, plant it in partial shade, and be sure to give it plenty of room for expansion. One expert cautions against pruning, which can spoil its shape.
In northern regions, where it is well-loved, at least one expert recommends both sunny and partially-shady spots. One other notable difference among plants in northern climes is that, in the north, the seeds are rarely viable due to the shortened growing season.
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics. That’s the warning that appears at the top of the plant profile in the North Carolina State Extension Toolbox. I guess that’s why deer avoid it; but so should cats, dogs, horses, and humans. According to NC State, it is “HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!”
Happily, the nectar and pollen of A. parviflora are NOT poisonous, at least not for the bees and butterflies. Among those which may visit are Eastern tiger swallowtails, giant swallowtails, and monarchs.
Although deer have never so much as nibbled at my bottlebrush buckeyes, a couple of them have new injuries to their bark at the lower end of the trunk. Could it be squirrels or rabbits stripping bark or could it be a “southwest injury” due to sudden temperature changes? Those are the possibilities turned up by my research. I plan to follow up on this by sending samples to the lab at Virginia Tech. Stay tuned!
While the self-seeding of my mature shrub has provided plenty of new plants, my research revealed that there are additional methods of propagation: the seeds from the seed capsule can be planted immediately after they ripen. It “may also be propagated from underground stems (stolons) that allow the shrub to spread. These stolons produce both roots and an above ground stem at specific points called nodes. Sections of stolons with nodes may be dug and transplanted.” Clemson University Extension.
I was pleasantly surprised to come across detailed design suggestions for bottlebrush buckeye, and they’re worth quoting in full:
Bottlebrush buckeye works well as a background or massing plant to highlight the forms and colors of companion plants and block undesirable views. The fine texture and medium leaves of the buckeye will show well with contrasting plant features such as large leaves, coarse texture, thick stems, and dark green or burgundy color. Other contrasting textures include thin blades and clumping, arching forms of grasses and other vase-shaped, small-leaved shrubs. Contrasting size and shape such as low-growing groundcover with a sprawling, mounding form will emphasize the upright, arching shape of buckeye. To create large plant masses select plants with similar characteristics that blend with the buckeye.
— Prof. Edward F. Gilman, Ryan W. Klein & Assoc.Prof.Gail Hansen, University of Florida IFAS Extension
No matter how you use it in your landscape design, a bottlebrush buckeye is sure to provide much beauty to your yard, plus food for pollinators. You can’t miss with this plant!
SOURCES:
Video: Bottlebrush buckeye- Plant Identification/www.youtube.com
“Bottlebrush buckeye,” Virginia Tech Dendrology
“Aesculus parviflora: Bottlebrush buckeye,” University of Florida Extension
Iowa State Ext/hortnews/Bottlebrush Buckeye
“The Beauty of Bottlebrush Buckeye,” Ohio State University/Hort Shorts
“Bottlebrush Buckeye,” University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden
“Aesculus parviflora,” Missouri Botanical Garden.org/PlantFinder
“Preparations to Prevent Southwest Injury,” Purdue University Extension
“Bark Stripper Squirrels,” Ohio State University
Good info. Wish articles about such great natives included locations where they can be purchased. Thanks.
First, I want to say how much I enjoy reading The Garden Shed! Your articles are a delight — well-researched, insightful, and well-written. I currently live in Orange County in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and thought I would share my observations on A. parviflora and var. serotina ‘Rogers’. In my yard, ‘Rogers’ flowers about 2 weeks later, which happens to be the height of the Japanese beetle season in my yard. Although the leaves are not damaged, the flowers are immediately eaten and the perception is that no flowering occurs. If the timings are similar in your area, ‘Rogers’ is better avoided. Such a shame!
Enjoyed your article. Very informative.
Deer never seem to eat my Bottlebrush Buckeyes, but they certainly use them to rub the velvet off their antlers. Some times damaging limbs and trunk.
Thanks for the kind words — and for the warning about deer antler-rubbing. One of my bottlebrush buckeyes experienced the deer damage you describe. Fortunately, the wound has healed over and the shrub seems to be thriving. To protect trees and shrubs, try plastic tree wrap, tubes, or 4′ woven wire cylinders.