Buttonbush vs Sour Cherry - TreeTime.ca

Buttonbush vs Sour Cherry

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Prunus cerasus

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Buttonbush
Sour Cherry

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.

Sour Cherry is cold-hardy and typically grows as a small tree. In late spring, it produces clusters of fragrant white blossoms that mature into bright red, tart fruit. Although the cherries can be eaten fresh, they are most commonly used in baking and preserves.

While not native to North America, Sour Cherry serves as a larval host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), a butterfly native to eastern North America.

Sour cherries are self-fertile; however, planting near additional cherry trees for cross-pollination can increase yields.

This Sour Cherry is produced from seed collected from an Evans Cherry and is not clonally reproduced.

Buttonbush Quick Facts

Sour Cherry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: large, white, spherical
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB