Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
Also called buttonbush.
Native wetland shrub with spherical white pincushion flowers in summer that draw butterflies and bees. Thrives in standing water.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 1.8–3.6 m (6–12 ft) tall and 1.8–3.6 m (6–12 ft) wide; medium growth, about 6 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #3 install size.
Bloom
White flowers, Jun–Aug (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buttonbush : Jun–Aug |
Design notes
- Leafs out late and can look rangy; cut back hard in late winter to renew.
- Best at pond edges, swales and rain-garden bottoms.
Regions
Native range: Much of North America east of the Rockies, plus riparian Arizona, New Mexico and California.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Buttonbush
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.