Zone: 3 to 7
Soil: Sand to lighter clay soils
Light: Full sun to part sun
Bloom colour: cream to yellow
Bloom period: Mid spring
Height: typically, less than 40 feet
Moisture: Moist
Attracts: Queen bees and hummingbirds
Notes: Ohio buckeye is a medium size tree that is native to the Eastern United States as well as a small part of Ontario. It will grow perfectly well in Southern Ontario if the soil is well drained and moist.
Like other species in this genus, the flowerheads are showy. The flowers are borne on panicles about 8 inches high. The flowerheads on Ohio Buckeye are eye-catching.
They are excellent trees for wildlife. Queen bumblebees flock to the flowerheads. They are also a nice early food source for hummingbirds just arriving in Ontario. Later in the summer, only squirrels can eat the seeds, which are toxic for all the other animals.
These trees can grow quite large but mostly tend to grow to modest heights so they can easily be planted in smaller gardens. I have never seen trees with so many queen bumblebees so this plant would be of considerable interest to wildlife gardeners if you have the right growing conditions.
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