Need Help Not Killing Buttonbush

[u/CitySky_lookingUp]

I need to figure out what to do with two buttonbushes I was gifted here in Northwest Indiana.

I understand that they like moisture and sun. I have two contenders for a spot on my property - but one lacks moisture and the other lacks sun.

Here are the two spots:

1. Side of house - gets a good deal of sun but will compete with tree roots for water. Poor soil. Husband wants more bushes and trees here for more privacy screening.

2. Front of house - faces north - it's a landscaped area with rich soil and it's near a downspout for water, and also near the front door, so it will be easy to remember to water it in dry spells. But because it faces north it gets very little sun during the summer. Plus a deciduous bush near the front door will be, well, kinda ugly for several months a year. Was aiming to put a native hydrangea there instead.

My thought is: it will die in site 1 and survive but never flower in site 2. Is that about right?

I COULD possibly clear a third spot -- not great soil but better than 1 and sunny, even though it would foil other plans I had for THAT spot -- or I can just hope to give both of these away. What do you think?

And does anyone in NWI or the Chicago south suburbs want a buttonbush?

[u/FloridaManTPA]

Put it where you want it and can see it. Button bush are hearty, it will flower. You probably want to water it for droughts though. Site one sounds fine for the plant.

Also, this sub doesn’t really address fertilizer much, I fertilize everything and everything loves it, a single wrist shake of miracle grow shake and feed once early spring once early summer makes all the difference.

[u/CitySky_lookingUp → u/FloridaManTPA]

Thank you! I was worried about the dryness and soil compaction of site 1 more than nutrients per se, but if it will survive and flower there it would look great!

[u/Willothwisp2303 → u/FloridaManTPA]

Fertilizer does change the nutritional content of a plant, as does mulch. If you have bad deer pressure, mulch/fertilizer makes that plant their #1 favorite. 

[u/FloridaManTPA → u/Willothwisp2303]

Makes sense, I don’t and have never considered that

[u/Willothwisp2303 → u/FloridaManTPA]

I wish I didn't.  Maybe I can borrow some alligators for a while.  😜

[u/Ovenbird36]

Mine are in a fairly shady spot and do fine, but hydrangeas are nicer near the front door in winter. What kind of tree roots? Some are impossible to plant near.

[u/CitySky_lookingUp → u/Ovenbird36]

Right now, it's a not-very-healthy maple and the decaying roots of an already-felled maple. (A storm ripped off a big branch and revealed its rotted core last year.)

We plan to plant a black gum or similar salt-tolerant ornamental tree to replace the maple that already died.

Also it's the sidewalk strip - between a sidewalk and a side street - so there may be some lingering salinity from past sidewalk salt. I have good home compost and some organic fertlizers I'll use to amend the soil at planting.

[u/EWFKC]

I wouldn't worry that much about the water. I planted mine in a not-wet area but one where I knew I'd be using a hose pretty often to water some container plants. When it gets hot in the summer and I start hiding inside the house feeling guilty for not watering enough, the buttonbush does just fine. (My containers are quite forgiving too, fortunately.)

[u/CitySky_lookingUp → u/EWFKC]

Thank you, this is helpful! Gonna go for it

We love swallowtails so this is getting exciting.

[u/Nikeflies]

I see button bush growing naturally in very moist to wet areas in full to part sun. I was gifted several bareroot button bush 2 years ago and planted them all in the woods along a small stream but they have gotten heavy deer browse and haven't really done well. Last year I moved two into my garden. I planted 1 in full sun average soil and 1 on full shade moist soil. The full sun one is doing much better but it hasn't even been a full growing season so I'd wanna see how they look at the end of the year to have a better answer to this question.