Red Buckeye
Aesculus pavia
Scarlet April flowers timed to the hummingbirds' return. Bold tropical-looking leaves, pest-free, and completely ignored by deer.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The single best plant for welcoming ruby-throated hummingbirds back to your garden each spring. nothing else blooms with this color at exactly the right time.
Red buckeye is one of the first shrubs to bloom in spring: upright clusters of tubular scarlet-red flowers open in April, perfectly timed to coincide with the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds from their winter range in Central America. The timing isn't coincidence. This plant and this bird have co-evolved over millennia, and watching a hummingbird work a red buckeye in early April is one of the purest expressions of native ecology in a garden setting. As a large multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, it brings bold tropical-looking palmately compound leaves to the shade garden. It goes summer-dormant in drought, browning earlier than other plants, which is normal. Remarkably pest- and disease-free, and completely ignored by deer thanks to toxins in all plant parts.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown red buckeye propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6–15 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Early spring
- Bloom color
- Red
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Native range
- Southeastern United States
Care notes for red buckeye.
Part shade to full shade in average to moist soil. Summer dormancy is normal in drought. do not panic when leaves brown in August. Avoid alkaline soils. Plant parts are toxic; not appropriate near livestock or where children might play with the shiny seeds. No pruning needed beyond dead wood removal.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside red buckeye.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.