Buttonbush is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9 and shrugs off deer. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Buttonbush — the short answer
Buttonbush: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Buttonbush on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether buttonbush actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score buttonbush against your land's real conditions.
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What Buttonbush is
Buttonbush grows as a perennial and reaches around 15 feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Buttonbush
Buttonbush grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Buttonbush does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7.5, on consistently moist ground. It needs a growing season of at least 120 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
15 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
120+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set buttonbush in full sun with consistently moist soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Buttonbush prefers pH 5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Buttonbush thrives
Buttonbush is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Buttonbush growsOpen map →
Where Buttonbush stands, state by state
Buttonbush is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Buttonbush’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Buttonbush
Growing guides for buttonbush
In rotation planning, buttonbush counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Buttonbush is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Your land is one point inside Buttonbush's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Buttonbush will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether buttonbush actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Buttonbush
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Buttonbush in my zone?
Buttonbush grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Buttonbush?
Set buttonbush out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Buttonbush need?
Buttonbush needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Buttonbush need?
Buttonbush prefers soil pH 5 to 7.5, on consistently moist ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Buttonbush attract pollinators?
Yes — buttonbush's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Is Buttonbush safe for pets?
No toxicity database we draw on publishes a rating for buttonbush, so we don't have one to report. Check the ASPCA Poison Control plant list before planting it where pets browse.