First Editions® Fiber Optics Buttonbush — Cephalanthus occidentalis

First Editions® Fiber Optics Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a compact, rounded habit and fragrant white summer flower clusters shaped like pincushions.

New foliage emerges red to copper, matures to glossy dark green, and returns to copper tones in fall. Red to reddish-brown fruit clusters follow the flowers and can persist into winter. The species is native to eastern North America, including Georgia, and provides host-plant value for butterflies and moths, along with seeds and shelter for birds.

Growing details

• Plant type: Deciduous shrub
• Listed mature height: 5–6 feet
• Listed mature spread: 4–8 feet
• Spacing: Approximately 6 feet apart
• Hardiness: USDA zones 4–9
• Light: Full sun to part sun
• Soil: Rich, moist to wet soil
• Flowers: Fragrant white, rounded clusters in summer
• Fall foliage: Copper tones

Care and garden use

This low-maintenance shrub needs reliable soil moisture. Avoid dry sites. Use in grouped plantings, borders, wildlife gardens, naturalized areas, pond edges, foundation beds, or hedges where its moisture needs can be met.

Pair with sweet flag, ferns, or iris suited to the same light and moisture conditions.

Image credits: Rufino Osorio (Desmodium), Cephalanthus occidentalis, CC BY-SA 2.5; Famartin, Buttonbush flowers along Old Dairy Road, Fairfax County, Virginia, CC BY-SA 4.0; F. D. Richards, Cephalanthus occidentalis Fiber Optics 'Bailoptics', 2018 photo. The first two credited images depict the species. Plants naturally vary in appearance and may differ from the images shown.