Buckeye is a hybrid horse chestnut that brings genuine spring drama to temperate gardens. This deciduous tree grows 10 to 20 feet tall (occasionally to 40 feet) and spreads equally wide, displaying erect panicles of red to orange-red flowers in April and May that stop you in your tracks. Unlike its red buckeye parent, this hybrid's petals are distinctly hairy, a subtle botanical signature that speaks to its garden origins. Hardy in zones 5 through 8, it thrives in full sun to partial shade and asks only for moderate water and low maintenance once established.
Partial Sun
Moderate
5-8
240in H x 240in W
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Moderate
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The showy, 5-inch flower panicles emerge in spring with a distinctive red-orange coloring and hairy petals that catch light beautifully. Dark green, palmately compound leaves unfold beneath the blooms, with leaflets reaching 6 inches long and a yellowish undertone on their undersides. Equally ornamental are the smooth, light brown, globular seed capsules that follow, adding visual interest through summer and early fall. Hummingbirds visit the flowers reliably, bringing movement and life to the garden during their spring migration.
Buckeye serves as both a flowering tree and street tree, valued for its spring color display and moderate size. The showy flower panicles and ornamental seed capsules make it a focal point in landscape design, while its moderate growth habit and low maintenance requirements suit it to urban plantings and residential gardens where a structured yet floriferous shade tree is needed.
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“Aesculus × woerlitzensis is a hybrid of garden origin, created by crossing Aesculus pavia (red buckeye) with other Aesculus species. The resulting tree combines the best ornamental traits of its parents while adding the distinctive hairy petals that set it apart. This hybrid demonstrates how deliberate plant breeding in gardens can preserve and enhance the qualities gardeners value most in ornamental trees.”