Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com
Sugar Shack® Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis 'Sugar Shack'
This one's sold out. These are ready to ship
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Specifications
| Hardiness Zone | 4a to 10b |
|---|---|
| Sunlight | Full sun, Partial shade |
| Height | |
| Width | |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Watering Needs | High |
| Preferred Soil | Chalky, Clay, Loamy, Peaty, Sandy |
| Landscape Use | Border, Woodland Garden, Slope Planting, Rain Garden |
| Growth Habit | Bushy, Spreading |
| Blooms In | Summer |
| Flower Color | White |
| Foliage Color | Green |
| Fragrant | Yes |
| Pet Safety | Toxic to pets |
| Plant Characteristics | Cold hardy, Low Maintenance, Native, Flowering, Fall Color/Interest, Wet Soils, Clay Tolerant, Ornamental Berries/Fruit, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts pollinators, Hedge/Screen, Non-invasive |
| Botanical Name | |
| Does Not Ship To | AK, HI, ID, MT, PR, VI |
Description
Cute as a button! The Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Sugar Shack® Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis 'Sugar Shack') is the newest Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal Plant Winner in 2024! This little Buttobush variety provides the same stellar features as the traditional shrub but in a dwarf size!
Your Sugar Shack® Button Bush is a deciduous shrub that has a compact nature and rounded habit. The glossy, green foliage appears in spring, and each oval leaf shows up with a reddish hue. The coloring of the leaves slowly merges into bronze, adopting a lovely red and burgundy for autumn!
A thrilling treat arrives in summer when you will ever see some of the most unusual blooms in flower! The flowers appear as perfectly round, fragrant spherical blooms covered in tiny, pristine-white florets, with protruding, white spokes tipped in yellow! It's a one-of-a-kind sight to be sure!
Butterflies and bees will flock to your little balls of floral brilliance for their sweet scent, and birds will love the small, red seed balls that the unique blossoms transition to in late summer! But wait... there's more! Sugar Shack® still provides some winter interest with its attractive branches and sometimes twisting stems!
Landscape Application:
Plant Sugar Shack® Button Bushes near a water garden, Rain Garden or use as a border in a moist spot near a pond or low area in the yard as these lovely shrubs prefer moist conditions. However, this dwarf cultivar of the hardy US native shrub, Sugar Shack® can also manage some dry conditions once established!
Perfect screening hedges that will have the neighbors doing a double take, these award-winning flowering ornamentals provide seasonal privacy around your seating areas and poolside lounge chairs and will double as conversation pieces! Go ahead and pot up these 3-4 foot tall and wide shrubs for unique appeal anywhere!
This compact shrub grows naturally beautiful but is amenable to pruning if you so desire! Buttonbushes always provide interest, definition, and texture to the landscape, and this dwarf variety makes it possible to bring some of their charms to your home without needing a lot of space!
- Colorful Spring & Fall Foliage
- Glossy Green Summer Leaves
- Fragrant Roud Summer Flowers For Pollinators
- Red Fall Fruit For Birds
- Unique Hedges, Screening, Foundation Plantings & Works Well In Containers
#ProPlantTips for Care:
This water lover tolerates almost anything thrown at it, except prolonged drought of course! You can plant in full sun or partial shade and Buttonbush will do just fine, in hotter climates of USDA planting zones 4 to 10, they can tolerate more shade.
Doing best in well-drained enriched soil locations and regular water. The good news is that there is almost no possible way you overwater a Buttonbush. They're known for how well they do in damp soil and even flooded areas! Standing water is no match for this plant's adaptability!
Pruning this dwarf plant won't be needed often, but you can prune these deciduous shrubs in the late winter or very early spring. Every few years, cutting the bush back near the ground with a sharp pair of shears in the late winter can revitalize it quite well. Or a less drastic version, known as renewal pruning, can be performed every 3-5 years too! Simply remove the oldest fattest stems as close to the ground as possible and let the younger shoots take over.
- Full Sun to Partial Shade - Full Shade In Hot Climates
- Well-Drained Soil Of All Types
- Loves Average, Moist to Standing Water Locations
- Prune Late Winter/Early Spring Or Renewal Prune Every Few Years
- Very Hardy In Heat & Cold
Space-saving, showy, and fragrant, this native cultivar will be your newest goto ornamental to make the neighbors turn heads! With so little needed from you, but so much to gain, why not try a Proven Winners® Sugar Shack® Button Bush this year?
Planting & Care
Delivery and Shipping
Shipping Rates
Ships in 3-5 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected
| Under $50 | $9.99 |
| $50 - $99.99 | $14.99 |
| $100 - $149.99 | $16.99 |
| $150 - $198.99 | $24.99 |
| $199+ | FREE |
✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee
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It came in great shape, and it’s still going strong several weeks later with minimal watering. I am in North Texas, zone 8a. I got it to go on the north side of my house in an area with poor drainage, and it doesn’t seem to mind.
Sugar Shack Buttonbush is a great fit for exactly that kind of spot. It naturally grows along stream banks and pond edges, so poor drainage that would stress most shrubs is really no problem for it at all. Good to hear it settled in well through a North Texas summer, and the north-side placement should suit it for the long run. Thanks for sharing how you have it growing.
Found this bush on Nature Hills website and knew that it would fill a vacant spot along a wooden fence and liven up the patio area nicely. I amlooking forward to soon seeing vibrant fall foliage. Also, I hope that it will be blooming next spring. I also appreciate that it attracts pollinators and provides food for birds.
Buttonbush is such a good choice for a fence line, and the wildlife value really does pay off over time. The blooms typically arrive in summer rather than spring, so you may want to keep that in mind as you watch it settle in. Once it gets going, the round, spidery flowers are a real draw for bees and butterflies, and the seeds bring in the birds right behind them. Thanks for sharing how it is doing, Susan.
plant arrived looking a little worse for wear from long shipping, loss of 50% of leaves but perked up with watering and light. Hopefully it will flourish in el nino
Buttonbush is a tough plant at heart, and it sounds like yours proved that pretty quickly once it got some water and light. Shipping stress can knock the leaves back, especially on a longer journey, but a plant that perks up fast is usually a good sign for what is ahead. Thanks for giving it a chance to settle in, Samuel.
Arrived in good shape and seems to be doing well.
Buttonbush is a tough, adaptable shrub once it settles in, and it sounds like yours is off to a solid start. Thanks for the update, and we hope it fills in nicely for you this season.
Our buttonbush arrived quickly. The box was awesome! Bush was well protected!
Our buttonbush was quickly planted and do far is doing well. I will order from these guys again. They take the time to tell you what you need to know about their company and your plant! Good job for making us feel important!
Buttonbush is such a rewarding plant, and it sounds like yours is off to a solid start. The packaging does get a lot of thought on our end, so it's good to hear the plant arrived in good shape and ready to go in the ground. Thanks for the kind words, Vicki, and welcome to the Nature Hills family. We hope that buttonbush thrives for years to come.
Ordered three plants and all arrived in great shape, bigger than I expected. They are doing really well
Buttonbush is such a resilient plant once it gets established, and it sounds like yours are off to a strong start. If you have any moisture-prone spots in the yard, Sugar Shack thrives there and will reward you with those distinctive globe flowers that pollinators love. Thanks for sharing how they arrived, Sharon.
Waiting for cooler fall weather to plant. Very happy in a larger pot. Growing so quickly I pinched it back to shape it a bit.
Buttonbush is surprisingly vigorous once it gets going, so it sounds like yours is off to a great start. Pinching it back early is smart, it will encourage a fuller shape before it goes in the ground. When you do transplant in the fall, the cooler soil temps will give the roots a nice long stretch to establish before spring. Thanks for sharing the update, Geraldine.
I have many gardens. But this bush dead
Plant arrived in good condition. 2nd one I have purchased. 1st one is a year old and has doubled in size but has not blossomed yet.
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and for choosing our Button Bush Sugar Shack not just once, but twice! We’re delighted to hear the first plant has grown so beautifully over the past year—it’s a testament to your care and attention. It’s quite common for button bushes to focus energy on foliage growth before blossoming, especially in their early years. To encourage blooms, picking a sunny location with consistent moisture and perhaps a low-nitrogen fertilizer can sometimes help trigger flowering.
If you’d like, we can also share some detailed care tips tailored for your region or suggest the best timing to expect blossoms based on your local climate. Please feel free to reach out anytime for personalized advice!
Rooting for your garden’s success,
Your Nature Hills Plant Care Team
Plant arrived in good condition. 2nd one I have purchased. 1st one is a year old and has doubled in size but has not blossomed yet.
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review and for returning to Nature Hills for your Buttonbush Sugar Shack purchase! We’re delighted to hear your plant arrived in good condition. It’s wonderful that your first plant has been thriving and growing steadily over this year—even if it hasn’t blossomed yet. Buttonbush plants sometimes take a bit of time, especially while they’re establishing themselves, before producing their unique, beautiful flowers.
If you’re hoping to encourage blooming, make sure your Buttonbush is planted in a spot with full to partial sun, with consistent moisture but well-drained soil. Fertilizing in early spring with a balanced fertilizer might also give it that extra boost for flowering. We’re always here to support you if you have any questions or want more detailed tips to help your plants flourish.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and trusting us with your gardening journey!
Bloom on,
The Nature Hills Plant Knowledge Team
