This small deciduous shrub is covered in early spring with pink buds that burst open to reveal slightly fragrant, showy, flat-topped white flowers. Fleshy red fruit is borne in pendulous bunches in late August, darkening to all-black in October. Leaves fade to a dark maroon in the fall and winter months when planted in colder areas. Plants grow to about 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide. A cross between V. utile and V. × burkwoodii ‘Park Farm Hybrid’, this shrub is excellent as a foundation plant, as a specimen, in mass groupings, in a shrub border, or in containers. Evergreen to Zones 7 and 8.
CareProvide moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil in full sun to part shade. Site near other Viburnum species to ensure good cross-pollination and fruit set. Once established, this plant is tolerant of drought and reflected heat from home foundations.
PropagationTake greenwood cuttings in summer.
ProblemsGray mold (Botrytis), rust, downy mildew, powdery mildew, wood rot, Verticillium wilt, leaf spots, and dieback. Aphids, scale insects, weevils, Japanese beetles, Viburnum beetles, mealybugs, and tree hoppers.
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- Genus : Viburnum
- Plant Height : 3 to 6 feet
- Zones : 5, 6, 7, 8
- Plant Width : 6 to 10 feet
- Uses : Containers
- Tolerance : Drought Tolerant
- Characteristics : Fragrant Flowers, Showy Foliage, Showy Fruit
- Light : Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Maintenance : Low
- Moisture : Medium Moisture
- Plant Type : Shrubs
- Bloom Time : Spring
- Plant Seasonal Interest : Spring Interest
- Flower Color : White
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