Sugar Shack Buttonbush

Sugar Shack® Buttonbush is a compact selection of the North American native Cephalanthus occidentalis, grown for its round, fragrant white flower clusters and red fall fruit. [Proven Winners ColorChoice](https://www.provenwinnerscolorchoice.com/product/sugar-shack-buttonbush/) describes the named selection as a four-to-five-foot shrub for USDA zones 4–10; [The Morton Arboretum](https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/buttonbush/) also identifies 'SMCOSS' as a compact selection with red fruit. ## Flowers and fruit The spherical flower heads open in summer and attract pollinators. Red fruit adds fall interest and can remain into winter for birds. The shrub works as a specimen, a loose hedge, or a flowering anchor near a rain garden, pond edge, or other moist planting area. Although buttonbush is associated with wet sites, the breeder notes that Sugar Shack also grows in ordinary garden soils. ## Siting and size Choose full sun to part sun and allow about four to five feet for mature height and spread. The source size range crosses three feet, so the display uses feet for the full range. Buttonbush is in the Rubiaceae family; the species is native to North America. ## Maintenance Water regularly while the shrub establishes, then adjust to rainfall and soil moisture. It tolerates moist and wet conditions and does not require fertilizer in typical garden soil. Prune selectively to keep the shape tidy, preferably before new spring growth begins; flowers form on new wood.