They are a water-loving plant, even tolerating standing water, so we planted them at the side of our house alongside the swale into which the sump pump drains. The Buttonbushes started blooming on the 4th of July - offering up a visual treat even more spectacular than the fireworks that lit up the sky that night.

The true draw of the Buttonbush, however, is its lure to pollinators. The day the flowers started blooming, the entire area was suddenly buzzing with Bumble Bees and other pollinators. I haven't seen a bush attract pollinators like that since a short experiment with a nonnative but sterile Butterfly Bush cultivar (they did not survive our winter despite being labeled as hardy in our zone).

This shrub has grown quickly in the last year in its mostly sunny location. Our particular plants are a cultivar called 'Fiber Optics,.' which is very similar to the pure native but bred to be more compact, topping out at 6' x 6'. You do have to be careful with cultivars as sometimes they do not offer the same benefits to pollinators, other insects, and wildlife. However, my experience with this particular cultivar has been positive, having found caterpillars wrapped in the leaves and seeing the steady cloud of pollinators that hover in orbit around the shrub. If you are looking for a native shrub for a wet space with at least part sun, the buttonbush is a pollinator's dream.