Illustration
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Aesculus parviflora
Also called dwarf buckeye and dwarf horse chestnut
Bottlebrush Buckeye blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Bottlebrush Buckeye
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 10 ft tall and 12 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 15 years (a house reading).
Is Bottlebrush Buckeye toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as toxic to cats by NC State Extension.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Bottlebrush Buckeye
Plant Bottlebrush Buckeye in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Bottlebrush Buckeye get?
10 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult12 ftwideSee Bottlebrush Buckeye in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Bottlebrush Buckeye
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Bottlebrush Buckeye about 12 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Bottlebrush Buckeye to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Bottlebrush Buckeye's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 15 published sources on October 12, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and toxicity
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Databaseheight, spread, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, diseases and toxicity
- barron.extension.wisc.eduUniversity of Wisconsin Extension, Selecting Woody Landscape Plants fo...height, spread, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and toxicity
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, water, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, water and bloom months and color
- etd.ohiolink.eduThe Ohio State University, Ann Marie Chanon doctoral dissertation (2005)height, spread and bloom months and color
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Databaseheight, hardiness zones, sun and soil
- University of Florida IFASExtension, FP017height, spread and trait tags
- Internet Archive (archived page)Colorado State University, 2019 Woody Plant Evaluationsheight and spread
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreach, Yard and Gardenheight and spread
- Mt. Cuba Centerheight and spread
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.