No. mine is on the front lawn area, which can get very, very dry. Last year there was a leak in the city's water line, and when they dug down to it, the guy actually tore up the button bush in the process. A lot of the roots were exposed; they literally almost ripped it out of the ground. I set it upright and tamped the soil down over and around the roots, and was astounded that it put out a bunch of new growth and even bloomed for the first time!

The point is that apparently they can more than tolerate abuse and rebound with a great deal of vigore.

Susan

Thanks Susan.......that definitely gives me more options as to where to plant it.

I planted mine in the septic tank drain field, and it's HUGE!! Part of its size is due to a root sprout that's grown to big bush size itself. The trunk is very interesting looking, very twisty and sort of gnarly. It's about to bloom now, late, undoubtedly because of the colder than normal spring.

So far, there's been no blockage of the pipes in the drain field. Plants that like wet soil usually have shallow roots, so maybe that'll continue to be the case.

If mine was planted on a well-drained site, I'd make sure it wasn't too far from the hose!

Sherry

Thanks Sherry,

I have a finger system. Is that what you mean by drain field?
But further down the yard (about 8') where it is lower, it can get wet if it rains alot. That's a possibility........but the trees have gotten high and I'm afraid there won't be enough sunlight.
lol.........We've lived here for over 30 years, and we've planted tons of trees and bushes.......and now I'm finding that I'm having fewer and fewer places with sun! But I can't help myself.......if one button bush is good, then a bunch are too, right? :)

Yes, I guess what we have is a finger field - it's several pvc pipes with holes in them.

My bush only gets about 1/2 day sun, if that. It's morning sun, and the western side of the bush had a lot of dead, totally shaded out areas on the underside that I cut out. Now you can walk under it.
But maybe they need more sunlight in Zone5? I don't know.

Yes, a bunch of button bushes are better than one. But don't worry, if you plant one and it's happy, you'll get more! :) Even if yours doesn't colonize, it's extremely easy to root. I got mine from a cutting I took from a roadside bush.

Sherry

Would it grow here in Southern Wisconsin?

Thanks Sherry!

No. mine is on the front lawn area, which can get very, very dry. Last year there was a leak in the city's water line, and when they dug down to it, the guy actually tore up the button bush in the process. A lot of the roots were exposed; they literally almost ripped it out of the ground. I set it upright and tamped the soil down over and around the roots, and was astounded that it put out a bunch of new growth and even bloomed for the first time!

The point is that apparently they can more than tolerate abuse and rebound with a great deal of vigor.

Susan