
A bottlebrush buckeye shrub demands attention where ever it grows. These are beautiful shrubs that can change the outlook of your landscape.
Bottlebrush buckeye shrubs bloom in summer, and there are no other shrubs that can be compared to the aesthetic look of them. It is a tall shrub that can grow up to 10 feet tall. You will find it blooming with upright, white panicles in summer, and yellow panicles in fall. The white panicles grow about 4 inches wide, and are a foot long. This shrub is related to the horse chestnut and Ohio buckeye. Just as it is a visual feast, you will also enjoy gardening these plants.
Bottlebrush buckeye shrubs love moist soil, and can tolerate any soil that is poorly drained. They can grow in the shade or sun. It is native to America, and the trees are common to parts of Australia and New Caledonia. You can harvest the seeds and place them in small pots. Once germinated, you can transplant the bulbs in the garden soil or woodland area. When planting them, you should dig a hole that is twice the size of the root bulb and as deep the container.
You may not observe many species of butterflies getting attracted to the shrub, but many pollinators readily hover over them as the plant produces many seeds. A word of caution; all parts of this plant cause irritation in the throat when swallowed, and the nuts are poisonous.
Growing Bottlebrush Buckeye Shrubs
- Once you choose a site to grow the bush, clear it from any kind of weeds and organic matter. You can decide on a site that receives full sunlight or even a partially shaded area.
- About a week to 10 days before planting, you should add aged manure and a compost layer that is 2 to 4 inches thick.
- You should prepare an 18-inch deep bed for the perennial, for great returns in the long run.
- The soil should be moist and partially drained.
- You can buy the seeds or bulbs from the local nursery. You can even collect the seeds from older plants as soon as the covering of the seeds begin to crack, and plant them immediately.
- You can even propagate the shrub by the roots in winter.
- Plant the bottlebrush buckeye from spring to fall, and water it freely. You can keep the soil moderately dry in winter
- You can add a liquid low phosphorous fertilizer once a month.
- Give a good balanced fertilizer in the month of November, and a good soaking before the ground freezes in winter.
You will observe white, snowy flowers in July, and yellow ones in autumn. You can give plenty of area for growth, as the bottlebrush shrub looks great without pruning. This is an ornamental plant that is not known to be invasive. You should plant each individual bush 36 to 60 inches apart. It survives in soil that is acidic, sandy, loam, and clay types. You should water the plant regularly with about 1 inch of water a week, during the growing period. You need to water once a week instead of everyday, for a few minutes, as it will help the bottlebrush buckeye to establish itself in the first two years of growth.
These bushes are immune to many pests and diseases that ruin the leaves of plants of the genus. But it may fall prey to fungal infestation like rusts, powdery mildew, leaf spots, anthracnose, and scale insects.