Plant of the Week – Bottlebrush Buckeye

There are few summer blooming shrubs that can compare to Aesculus parviflora!  This is the latin name for the  bottlebrush buckeye.  This plant is blooming right now here in Michigan, and it is a stunning plant.  The foliage is a very large leaf, and provides an interesting look even when not in flower.

Bottlebrush buckeye is a large shrub growing up to 12′ tall.  It usually is much wider than tall due the fact that it suckers from the base.  This can be kept under control with regular maintenance.  Some plants are pruned in a tree form, which makes controlling the suckering growth a little easier, but it must be done much more regularly to maintain that look.Plants should be placed in full sun to light shade, and prefer a moist well-drained soil.  Another excellent feature of this plant is that it has a yellow fall color.