Aesculus parviflora

Originating from the woodlands of Georgia, Alabama and the south-eastern states of the USA, the Bottlebrush Buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, can easily be missed. It has been cleverly sited amongst the magnolias at the top of the Rose Garden (area M on the downloadable map). The feathery plumes of the white scented flowers are high in the shrub, standing out like candelabras, attracting bees and butterflies.

The Bottlebrush Buckeye is a rather rare, late flowering, deciduous, spreading shrub, which suckers. The common name, bottlebrush, is a reference to the flower shape. It was first introduced to Britain by the Scottish botanist and plant hunter, John Fraser, and was distributed by the nurserymen of the day in the early part of the 19th century. It gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. This specimen is thought to have been planted by the Gardens’ curator Harry Hart, in the early 1960s.