Melinda Myers offers a list of hardy shrubs known as Viburnums.
Flowers, foliage, fall color and low maintenance describe the versatile viburnum. Use them to create an attractive screen, hedge or mixed border. Several viburnum varieties make great specimens or small groupings in the landscape.
You and the butterflies will enjoy the lacy or snowball-shaped white, often fragrant spring blossoms. As the blossoms fade, berry-like fruit begins to develop and matures to red, blue or black. Most viburnums finish the growing season in a blaze of color. Their green leaves turn orange, red, purple or red in fall.
Grow them in full sun to partial shade and moist well-drained soil. Some viburnums are drought tolerant once established. Check out the many viburnums available here at Pasquesi Home and Gardens…while supplies last.
Burkwood – 8’ tall x 5’ wide or more, showy fragrant white snowball flowers, red fruit turning black, maroon fall color, minimal red fruit ripens to black (plant in groups to increase fruiting), drought tolerant once established
Chicago Lustre – 10 to 12’ tall x 8-10’ wide, creamy white flowers, blue fruit, yellowish-orange fall color, upright growth makes it great for hedges, screens and naturalized areas, native
Double File – 10 to 12’ tall and wider, horizontal branching makes an attractive specimen, white lacy (non-fragrant) flowers, red fruit in summer, burgundy-red to purple fall color
Judd – 6 to 8’ tall and wider, fragrant white semi snowball flowers, red fruit ripens to black, purple fall color, drought tolerant once established, good for screens and hedges
Korean Spice – 4 to 6’ tall and wide, red buds open to fragrant pink turning white snowball flowers, produces a few blue-black fruit, wine-red to burgundy fall color, nice in small groupings, mixed borders, black walnut tolerant
Mohawk – Slightly more compact, deep red buds open to white more fragrant flowers and better fall color than Burkwood, minimal red fruit ripens to black (plant in groups to increase fruiting), drought tolerant once established
Mohican – 7 – 8’ tall and wider, small white flat topped flowers, red turning black fruit, fall color green with purplish-red tones, more tolerant of alkaline soil than other viburnums and is drought once established
Nannyberry – 14 – 16’ tall x 6-12’ wide, white flat-topped flowers, edible blue-black fruit, variable fall color (green – yellowish – purplish red), native
AT A GLANCE
Name: Viburnums (Viburnums)
Size: 4 to 15’ tall and wide, depending on variety
Light: Full sun to Partial shade
Water: Thoroughly whenever top few inches of soil are crumbly and slightly moist, some are drought tolerant once established
Soil: Moist, well-drained preferred
Written by, gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Each month Melinda will feature a low maintenance plant perfect for beginning and experienced gardeners looking for attractive easy care plants. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Low Maintenance Plant of the Month with you!
