Viburnums have great seasonal interest. All have anywhere from white to pink flowers in the spring, many opening from very dark pink buds. Some are very fragrant like the Snowball Viburnum, others provide beautiful fruit in the summer and fall ranging from red to blue, to very black. For those of you who look to attract birds, these berries are a very vital source of food. As for foliage, most have glossy, dark green leaves that turn to burgundy in the fall, my favorite being the Winterthur Viburnum with its scarlet leaves and added bonus of pink to blue to black fruit. Some viburnums hold onto their leaves late into the winter and are considered semi-evergreen like the Leatherleaf Viburnum. The Prague Viburnum ‘Pragense’ is one of the evergreens and is a good example of a wonderful shrub to use as a hedge or in mass plantings.

Another wonderful feature of Viburnums is they are not fussy. They do thrive in full sun and moderately moist, well-drained soil areas, however they will grow in part shade and I have even seen them grow successfully in clay soils.

What is wonderful is that the maintenance for viburnums is minimal. They are bothered by few pests and diseases and they transplant very easily. Unlike many other ornamental trees and shrubs, they do not need spraying. They are even tolerant of pollution and harsh urban conditions.

Seasonal care involves an application of a layer of compost under the plant each spring. Spread the compost out to the plant’s drip line. Adding a two inch layer of mulch also prevents weeds and helps to retain moisture. Like all plants, water is important during times of summer drought. Prune lightly each spring to keep plants free of pests and diseases, and to keep the plant in healthy condition. Remove all broken, dead, and diseased branches.

Believe it or not Viburnums have been around for a very long time and have been celebrated as very popular plants, even though many people do not know about them. Did you know that Viburnum in Latin means wayfaring tree? The most popular and widely utilized are the Asian species like the Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodi) and the Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii). Their fragrance is intoxicating and while sitting on my deck I can enjoy the scents from flowers on shrubs along the woodland border that are as far away as twenty to thirty feet, especially on a breezy spring day.

I use Viburnums in most of my landscape designs as specimens, as hedges or screens and in mixed borders. A good number of the species are shrubs; however, there are those that can stand alone as a small ornamental tree where space is limited like the Siebold Viburnum that can grow well over 15 feet to the Dwarf American Cranberrybush – Viburnum trilobum at only 2 feet tall by two feet wide.

We cannot forget the Native Viburnums and I do include those, as much as possible, in my own landscape, and that of my clients. They do not provide the fragrance of the Asian varieties; however, their presence and other qualities of form, fruit, and fall color display are important characteristics of a worth while plant. Some examples include the Mapleleaf (Viburnum acerfolium), Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum), and Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium).

When it comes to ultimately selecting a Viburnum, be it Native or Asian, you just need to know what characteristics you are looking for, and select one that has the features that meets your desires and needs. Before making a selection visit your local nursery and look at the different varieties available. Many mail order catalogues also provide many varieties. To help demystify the categories of Viburnums below you will find a brief description of the main classifications. This is not an absolute list, there are others, but this will help get you started.

• Korean Spice Viburnums (Viburnum carlesii)

  Is a very fragrant long lasting spring blooming variety. It grows to an average of 4-6 feet at maturity. It is a great example for both foundation and border plantings. The lovely white cluster flowers often with a slight pink overtone are followed by berries in the fall and a lovely foliage color display of reddish to almost purple.

• Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii)

  Emerges in spring with bright pink buds that open to white fragrant flowers. Another great plant for the border that grows a little taller, 8-10 feet. Fall fruit start out as red and change to very black. One of my favorite varieties

  ‘Mohawk’ has more of a pink bud opening to pink flowers.

• Fragrant Viburnum (Viburnum x carlcephalum)

  This shrub is a more open loose example with light pink buds opening to fragrant white flowers in late April and May. Grows 8-10 feet.

  One of my all time favorite viburnums is in this category it is ‘Mohawk’ and has more of a pink than white flower, at least at my house.

• Judd Viburnum (Viburnum x juddii)

  Is very similar to Korean spice but I don’t think the scent is as strong. Some people will disagree. Also a smaller rounder shrub grows 6-8 feet.

• American cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum)

  Similar to the European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus). It has the most incredible fall color and is great for moist areas. Use this native plant as a wonderful screen and in mass plantings.

• Arrowhead Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

  Is a very hardy shrub with nice glossy dark green leaves. It produces white fluffy flowers in the spring followed by somewhat bluish to black fruit in the fall with yellow to red fall leaf color. This is another good shrub for the birds. It grows 8-10 feet and sometimes to 15 feet in the right conditions. A great New England shrub for the coastal areas because it takes wind and is salt tolerant.

• Japanese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum)

  Has a strong upright versus round shrubby growth and it flowers a little bit later than many other viburnums. It has a very round snowball white flower and is great for drying. This variety can be shaped into a small tree if trained young and properly but be careful not to over prune. Prune no more than a third of the branches per year. It can grow to 15 feet.

• Prague Ciborium (Viburnum x pragense)

  Is a hybrid and extremely hardy. Great for the northeast. It is a hybrid between The Leatherleaf and Service Viburnum. What I love about this plant is its long 4” waxy evergreen leaves. It is great for winter interest. In May it has dark pink buds that open to fragrant white flowers. It can grow to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide so it is great for screening.

• Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum)

  Is another great textural variety with leathery long leaves up to 7 inches and as much as 2.5 inches wide. I love this plant more for the leaves than the flowers which are somewhat lacy and do not compare to some of the other viburnums. However, the fruit produced in the fall are what makes this plant a beauty. They start out yellow then turn red and then black. This species does better in heavy shade and some winter protection, but it is worth it if planted in the right part of the landscape. Grow 1-15 feet.

• Siebold Viburnum (Viburnum sieboldii)

  Is probably the largest Viburnum in the species, at least to my knowledge. It is definitely a small tree growing to a height of 20 feet. It can be trained as a lovely standard that almost looks like a Hydrangea tree with its lovely creamy white flowers that open in May, flatter than the long panicles of the hydrangea. Again, fruit appear in October and ripen from rose to red to black. Be careful to make sure this plant has enough moisture; extremely high heat can cause stress and leaf scorch. I have used to soften iron fencing and add to the screening. The added bonus is the fragrance of the long lustrous dark green leaves. Rub one and tell me what you think the aroma is. Grows 15-20 feet.

• Wayfaringtrree Viburnum (Viburnum lantana)

  Yes, the wayfaring tree as so named, is the old what is know ironclad variety because it will grow in the worst of condition, clay soils. Again, a tall tree reaching up to 15 feet, great for screening. In may it produces a lacy white flower, not much fall leaf color, but a lovely fruit changing from yellow to red and then black. My favorite is V. lantana ‘Mohican’, often hard to find.

So now you know why Viburnums are one of my, no, are my favorite shrubs to use. I have about fifteen different varieties in my own landscape. I continue to look for new sources for Viburnums, as well as, new varieties. The only drawback – not enough availability. I have to continually nag the nurseries to carry more. They are simply just lovely.

Books in my Library

Dirr, M.A. 1997. Dirr’s hardy trees and shrubs: An illustrated encyclopedia. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

Dirr, M.A. Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Season