Cephalanthus occidentalis Sugar Shack

Cephalanthus occidentalis Sugar Shack is a new variety of a little-known deciduous North American shrub commonly known as Buttonbush or Buttonwillow. It stands out for its reduced growth, better suited to small gardens. Very bushy, branching from the base, it offers in late summer or early autumn a very original flowering, in the form of clusters of small creamy white and pleasantly fragrant heads. This is followed by a bright and bristly fruiting that is very decorative on a very beautiful foliage of bright and shiny green. This delightful plant, which shines from spring to autumn, requires constantly moist to wet soil. Plant it near water points, in a clump or in a small hedge. 

Cephalanthus occidentalis belongs to the Rubiaceae family, along with Gardenia, coffee or cinchona. This hardy deciduous shrub is native to North America, specifically the wet to marshy areas of eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends to Mexico and Cuba where it often forms very dense colonies. Its grey-brown bark cracks with age, peeling off in thick plates. Tolerating shade well, the Buttonbush is nevertheless much more floriferous in non-burning sun.

The 'Sugar Shack' cultivar, recently obtained in Canada, distinguishes itself mainly by a much more compact habit and increased flowering. It quickly forms a quite dense bush, producing many highly branched stems from its base. At maturity, the shrub will reach about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) in all directions. The grey-brown branches bear deciduous leaves that bud late in spring. They are tough, 10 cm (3.9 in) long, ovate, lanceolate, bright to olive-green and shiny on the upper side, lighter underneath, with lighter veins giving the lamina a wavy appearance. The autumn foliage shows a beautiful golden-yellow colour, sometimes tinged with copper-red before falling. From July to October depending on the climate, for about eight weeks, the unusual flowering of this plant appears. At the end of the year's branches appears a long branched petiole, each branching bearing a very dense globular inflorescence measuring about 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. Each capitulum or 'pompon' is composed of tiny tubular flowers with prominent yellow stamens mimicking pinheads. These fragrant, nectar-bearing and honey-bearing flowers attract many pollinating insects. The fruit is a round capsule of a bright red colour, bristly in appearance, measuring 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter, which will persist on the branches until winter. The root system of Cephalanthus is superficial, which makes it sensitive to lack of water but easy to transplant.

Wild, highly ornamental and honey-bearing, Cephalanthus occidentalis Sugar Shack is a shrub that likes soils that retain moisture, as well as the humidity of marshy areas or the soaked surroundings of water points. In this regard, it excels in pond borders, fixing the banks, for example associated with Japanese irises, ligularias, astilbes or filipendulas. But limiting it to this role would be an offense to its great versatility: comfortable in any soil without excessive limestone and not drying out, it will integrate perfectly into a small flowery hedge or a low shrub bed, with hedge honeysuckles, evergreen or deciduous barberries, flowering currants, dwarf lilacs, dogwoods, etc. Finally, its reduced growth is perfectly suited for cultivation in pots or containers, provided with regular watering and fertilising.