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Close-up of Buckbrush flower (Ceanothus cuneatus). Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Close up of the lime green flower buds of buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus). Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Close up of the tiny bright green spring leaves of buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus). Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Stems and flowers of the native buckbrush shrub (Ceanothus cuneatus). Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
A natural hedge of mature buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus) shrubs in full flower. Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Full-grown form of buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus) in flower. Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Buckbrush's "winter look" (Ceanothus cuneatus). Another stunning Pacific Northwest native shrub available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants Nursery in Portland, Oregon.

Buckbrush

Ceanothus cuneatus

Buckbrush is a large evergreen shrub ideal for sunny, dry areas of your habitat garden. In late spring and early summer, both you and pollinators will elate in its profusion of small, fragrant white flowers that envelop the branches. By fall, the flowers evolve into seeds that become food for birds and small mammals. Like other Ceanothus species, it fixes nitrogen in the soil, controls erosion, provides exceptional refugia habitat for birds and is drought tolerant and deer resistant once established.

  • Plant type/canopy layer: evergreen, perennial, large shrub 
  • Size at maturity: 5'-12' tall, equally wide
  • Light requirements: full sun to mostly sunny
  • Moisture requirements: dry, well-drained soil
  • Bloom time: May - June
  • Growth rate/ease: fast growing, easy to grow
  • Wildlife support: flowers are a nectar source for hummingbirds, adult butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators; branches provide refuge; seeds are a food source for birds and small mammals; overall plant is a biological magnet for beneficial and pest eating insects, particularly nocturnal insects that are food sources for bats, and it is known to host nine species of native butterflies and moths but is believed to host 86 more! Ants help propagate buckbrush by caching the seeds, which can lie dormant for a long time since fire is required for germination. 
  • Native habitat/range: it is a foundational shrub in the chaparral ecosystem and frequently occurs as an understory plant in dry oak woodlands and pine forest edges and openings, generally below elevations of 2000m, in much of western Oregon and California. Portland Plant List - yes. 
  • Special features & uses: evergreen; wildlife and pollinator favorite; nitrogen fixation and soil remediation; drought tolerant; deer resistant; landscape uses include pollinator gardens, rock gardens, open woodland gardens, habitat hedgerows, erosion control and bank stabilization 

Gardening with Buckbrush: This exceptionally hardy and drought-tolerant shrub will thrive in full-to-partly sunny areas. It can easily adapt to different types of soil as long as they are well-draining. Once established, it requires little to no maintenance or supplemental water, while naturally performing a wide range of ecological services. It functions perfectly in habitat hedgerows, open slopes and woodland edges where it will fix nitrogen, mitigate erosion and support pollinators. Since it is fast-growing, it also serves as a pioneer species in new landscapes. 

Companion Plants: Try this species near Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) trees with other shrubs that thrive in similar dry, well-drained environments such as tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis), manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), and coffeeberry (Frangula californica ssp. occidentalis). In the herbaceous layer, add grasses and sedges such as California oatgrass (Danthonia californica) and/or Roemer's fescue (Festuca roemeri), and herbaceous plants such as western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), western buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis), Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), harvest brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans), Camassia (Camassia quamash) and meadow checkermallow (Sidalcea campestris).

Photo Credits 1 & 4 (flowers/branches): Karli Del Biondo, Beetles and Bees

Photo Credit 2 (flower buds): © Cricket Raspet, some rights reserved (CC-BY) 

Photo Credit 3 (leaves close): © Alex, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

Photo Credit 4 (wild hedge): © Aaron Liston, some rights reserved (CC-BY) 

Photo Credit 5 (mature flowering form): © Wendy Herniman, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

Photo Credit 6 (winter look): © Daniel Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

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