Buckeye Tree

Red Buckeye: A Small Native Tree That Feeds the First Hummingbirds of Spring

This is red buckeye (Aesculus pavia), also called firecracker plant, a small native tree from the woods and stream banks of the Southeast. It grows 15 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide, often with several trunks, so it can pass for a large shrub. It’s deciduous, meaning it drops its leaves for winter and grows new ones in spring. Its leaves are shaped like an open hand with five leaflets.

In March and April, it opens red, tube-shaped flowers on upright spikes 6 to 10 inches long. Around that time, ruby-throated hummingbirds return from the south. There are few other flowers open yet, so they go straight to it. The flowers also attract bees and butterflies. Our flowering-tree planning guide can help you decide where it goes, and you’ll find more spring color among our flowering trees.

• Plant type: deciduous small tree or large shrub, native to the Southeast
• Also called: firecracker plant and scarlet buckeye
• Flowers: red and tube-shaped, on upright spikes 6–10 inches long
• Wildlife: early nectar for returning hummingbirds; deer usually avoid it
• Best uses: shady borders, woodland edges, creek banks, and hummingbird gardens 
• Things to know: leaves may drop by July or August in hot, dry summers
• What ships: bare-root plants 1–2 ft, Buy 1 Get 1 Free or bundles of 5 or 25
  

A Tree for the Shady Corner

Red buckeye grows naturally under taller trees and does best with morning sun and afternoon shade. It still blooms in shade, though 3 to 4 hours of sun gives you more flowers, and hot afternoon sun can scorch the leaves. If you’re choosing a Buckeye for landscaping, put it at a woodland edge, near a creek or on the shady side of the house.

Buckeye Tree for Sale: What Comes and How to Plant It

This plant ships bare root. Each buckeye tree for sale arrives as a dormant 1–2 foot plant with no soil around the roots. The tree starts small, so give it a few years to build roots before it blooms. Plant it in rich, moist soil that drains, at the same depth it grew, and water weekly through the first summer when it doesn’t rain. Each tree spreads 15 to 20 feet, so plant them 15 feet apart if you want the branches to meet in a row, or 20 feet apart if you want each to keep its own rounded shape. The Buy 1 Get 1 Free pair suits one shady bed. A bundle of 5 or 25 is the way to go if you want a Buckeye Tree for planting along a creek bank or woodland edge.

What to Plant With Red Buckeye 

Red buckeye looks best with other plants from the woodland edge. Flowering dogwood and redbud bloom around the same time, and like the same light, and an evergreen such as American holly behind it sets off the red flowers. Underneath, ferns, wild columbine, and Virginia bluebells fill in the shade and bloom alongside it in spring, so the whole corner comes alive just as the hummingbirds return. 

An Early Start Every Spring 

Red buckeye is one of the first trees to leaf out in spring and one of the first to lose its leaves. In a hot, dry summer, the leaves may yellow and drop by July or August, which is a natural part of its cycle. A deep soaking during a dry spell keeps the leaves on longer, and it leafs out again in early spring. Deer usually leave it alone.

Planting & Growing Information

Ships: Between November 15–29
Planting Zone: 5–9
Height at Maturity: 15–25 Feet
Water Needs: Moderate
Sun or Shade: Partial shade to full sun
Bloom Season: March–April
Care: Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch over the roots to keep them cool and moist. It needs no fertilizer and little pruning; in winter, just remove dead or crossing branches. Raking up fallen leaves in fall keeps the bed tidy. 
Exposure: Morning sun with afternoon shade is best. It needs 3–4 hours of sun for good flowering and blooms less in full shade.
Plant Attributes: Native to the Southeast, Red spring flowers for hummingbirds, grows in part shade, Deer resistant, Early spring color.