Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Buttonbush is the reigning champion of pollinator plants in wet sites. In midsummer, the round white spherical flower heads. each one a dense globe of tiny tubular flowers. open and become one of the most consistently busy pollinator magnets we know. Monarchs, swallowtails, hummingbirds, and dozens of native bee species work the blooms all day. The fragrance is light and sweet on warm afternoons. It grows naturally in standing water, along stream banks, and in pond margins. places where you'd otherwise struggle to find a shrub that belongs. The glossy leaves are beautiful in summer, the round seed heads persist into winter, and waterfowl and shorebirds eat the seeds. If you have a wet spot, buttonbush is the answer.
We grow a range of sizes and prices. Add the plant to your list, then pick your size when you visit.
Final price confirmed at pickup, depends on size and season.
- Thu, Jul 238 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Jul 248 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Jul 258 AM – 2 PM
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown buttonbush 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
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5'–10'
- Bloom
- Fragrant spherical white flowers from midsummer into fall; round persistent seed heads through winter
- USDA zones
- 5–11
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside buttonbush.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle 9–12 species that work together. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Butterfly Package
Host and nectar plants chosen to feed monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries spring through fall.
Hummingbird Package
Tubular-flowered natives that pull ruby-throats through your yard April through October.
S.O.S. Package
Save Our Songbirds, berry- and seed-bearing natives that feed nesting and migrating birds.