Buttonbush vs Bunchberry - TreeTime.ca

Buttonbush vs Bunchberry

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Cornus canadensis

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Buttonbush
Bunchberry

Buttonbush is a moisture loving shrub that provides year round interest.

It has round, fragrant flowers resembling small buttons or pincushions. The flowers transform into small reddish-brown fruit that persists into winter while the leaves take on shades of red in fall.

Providing essential food to bees, butterflies, and other insects, this shrub is versatile. Try it in your next shrub border.

The Bunchberry, or Quatre-Temps as it is commonly known in Quebec, is an excellent ornamental plant to have in your garden. With star-shaped white flowers in spring and clusters of bright red berries in the fall, this is one of the most refined and hardy groundcovers available. The foliage has ornamental value, with leaves going from a deep green in the spring and summer to a beautiful brick-red in the fall.

Bunchberry is a spreading evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. This plant is not well suited for urban areas close to streetsides, as it is quite intolerant to pollution. It is Canada’s national flower.

According to a poll done by the Master Gardeners of Ontario, it is one of the most recognizable Canadian flowers.

Its flowers grow with elastic petals and "fire" its pollen with the force of 2000-3000 times the force of gravity.

Buttonbush Quick Facts

Bunchberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 1b
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.6 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: long
Life span: short
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: brick red
Flowers: large, white, spherical
Flowers: white
Berries: small, red
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: August/September
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE