| Common Name | Honeybells; buttonbush; buttonwood |
| Genus | Cephalanthus |
| Species | occidentalis |
| Family | Rubiaceae |
| Life Cycle | deciduous shrub |
| Bundle Size | 10 bare roots per bundle |
| Care | All of these plants will ship to you from Vermont in early April. They will be just coming out of dormancy. You may see swelling buds or a bit of new growth, but in general they will be in a dormant state and may look a little dead. Don't worry! They will wake up. You may see a bit of mold on the roots but this is completely normal. Simply wash it off and plant immediately. As a precaution you can treat the roots with a fungicide or biofungicide, but this isn't necessary. Small broken branches are also of little concern. Just prune off any broken bits and the plant will recover quickly. The root system is the important part at this stage in the game. If you can't plant immediately on arrival store your bare roots in the cooler.The cold will delay their growth. Keep them from freezing. You can either pot them into 1 gallon pots or plant them directly into your prepared soil. Just make sure to plant them within a few days of arrival. They are waking up and are ready to grow, and they will decline quickly if they are not given soil, water and sunshine. This is a carefully orchestrated process to get plants quickly from their storage conditions to you so please do your part and be ready to plant them on arrival. There is no reason that these plants will experience any stress if you prepare for their arrival. |
| Netting / Staking | None |
| Hardiness | Hardiness zone 5-11 (will survive in colder climates with some dieback) |
| Spacing | Space 3-4' apart, Mature height is 4' |
| Soil Preference | Easily grown in moist, humus rich soils in full sun to part shade. Grows very well in wet soils, including flood conditions and shallow standing water. Adapts to a wide range of soils except very dry ones. |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
| Water | Prefers medium to wet soil. |
| When to Plant | Spring, when the ground is workable. |
| Harvesting | I recommend cutting before the flowers fully open to enjoy the bright green spherical buds or wait for the decorative seed pods. Expect approximately 5 stems in year 1, 20 stems in year 2 and 30+ stems year 3 and beyond. |
| Post Harvest Care | Post Harvest guide coming soon |
| Diseases / Insects | No significant disease or pest problems. |
| Bailey's Notes | This plant is not widely cultivated for cutting, but should be trialed further. They are an excellent food source for a number of native butterflies and their seeds are enjoyed by a number of waterfowl species. This plant loves water, so if you have a damp area and want to create a wildlife habitat that you can also harvest cut stems from, it's hard to imagine a better plant. After flowering, the bush bears beautiful decorative seed pods. |
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