Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Flattop Buckwheat
Flattop Buckwheat is a small evergreen native shrub with fine, dark green leaves and flat clusters of tiny white to pink flowers. It stays low and wide, needs almost no water once rooted, and draws bees, birds and many butterflies.
Best for: low native groundcover, rock gardens, butterfly and bird gardens, and dry spots that get almost no water.
It stays low and spreads about twice as wide as it is tall. That makes it a good low cover for rock gardens and desert-style beds.
Dense, flat clusters of tiny white to pink flowers open from spring into summer. The leaves under them are fine and dark green.
Birds, bees and many kinds of butterflies visit it, and it feeds butterfly caterpillars too. It is a good anchor plant for a wildlife bed.
It does poorly in heavy clay, so plant it where water drains away. It needs full sun to stay dense and compact.
- Massed planting3 ft apart
- Open planting4 ft apart
Water a new plant every 2 to 4 days for the first few weeks, then stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted it can live on rain, though a little extra water speeds its growth.
Plant it in soil that drains well, since it does poorly in heavy clay.
Plant it in full sun, which keeps it dense and compact.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does flattop buckwheat get?
It usually grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and about twice as wide. Leave it room to spread sideways.
When does it bloom?
It blooms mostly from spring into summer, with dense clusters of white to pink flowers. Plant it where you can see the flat flower heads.
How much water does it need?
Give it very little water. Once rooted it can live on rain, though a little extra water speeds its growth.
Does it need full sun?
Yes. Full sun keeps it dense and compact.
What soil does flattop buckwheat need?
It grows in most soils that drain well. It does poorly in heavy clay, so avoid low, soggy spots.
Does it attract butterflies?
Yes. Many butterflies visit, and it feeds several kinds of butterfly caterpillars. Bees and birds use it too.
Is it cold hardy?
Yes. It is rated to about 15°F, so a Valley winter will not hurt it.
Is it evergreen?
Yes. It keeps its fine, dark green leaves all year, even through a Valley winter.
Is flattop buckwheat native to Arizona?
Yes, it is native to western Arizona and the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. It fits well in a native plant bed.
How far apart should I plant flattop buckwheat?
Plant them about 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center. The Spacing tab on this page has the numbers.
Flattop Buckwheat for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Flattop Buckwheat is a low, evergreen native shrub with white to pink flower clusters. This page covers size, bloom, water, sun, soil and wildlife in a Valley yard.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Flattop buckwheat in Arizona
Flattop buckwheat is a low evergreen native shrub, with white to pink flower clusters in spring and summer.
Watering flattop buckwheat
It needs very little water once rooted and can live on rain, though a little extra water speeds its growth.
Flattop buckwheat for butterflies
Many butterflies feed on its flowers, and it hosts butterfly caterpillars. Bees and birds visit it too.
Flattop buckwheat and sun
Plant it in full sun, which keeps it dense and compact.
Best soil for flattop buckwheat
It grows in any soil that drains well. Avoid heavy clay, where it does poorly.
Is flattop buckwheat evergreen?
Yes. It keeps its fine, dark green leaves all year, even through a Valley winter.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.