🌳 A Viburnum for You and You and Youuuuu 🌳

a photo tour of the most overlooked shrub

Hi everyone! Have you had a heatstroke yet? 🥵

I recently bought a 40 oz tumbler and am appalled by how dehydrated I’ve been — working towards this 100oz/day goal has got me apologizing to my past body and wondering if I actually caused all my own health problems by walkin’ around like a lil raisin in everybody’s gardens these last few years.

Anyway, I’m here to bring you an important missive about viburnums, not my lil raisin bod, but while I’m here, please drink your water. 💧

I will never forget thumbing through my 450 page Landscape Design textbook a few years ago, looking for any pages on perennial design or care, and finding only one solitary paragraph.

When I moved to the south, I noticed that every home was a collage of Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Camellias, and Rhododendrons. I quickly learned it’s because every homeowner says, “I just want color!” or “Give me something pretty, some blooms!” — and most landscapers, let down by their textbooks, have been left with only a few non-problematic* shrubs that bloom as their solutions. [I also suspect this is why so many get obsessed with Asian specimen planting, but that’s neither here nor there.]

[Yes, we have Gardenias, but they are finnicky; Forsythia, but it is unwieldy; Rose of Sharon, but your full time job will be pulling up its offspring; Abelia, but no one knows how to prune it & they only sell the weird hybrids now.]

There is a family of flowering shrubs that is woefully undiscovered. I am hesitant to even write this newsletter for fear of suddenly having a hard time sourcing them for my clients, but I just cannot keep it to myself any longer!

Enter, the glorious world of Viburnums.

There are evergreen viburnums! Deciduous ones! Tiny ones that stay like little globes! Huge ones that get 20 feet tall! Viburnums for blooms! Viburnums for berries! Viburnums for soft cottagey feelings! For fall color! Viburnums for heavy duty privacy screening! Glossy leaves! Matte leaves! Viburnums that take full sun! Viburnums for part shade! Whatever you are needing, I believe there is a viburnum for you.

Viburnums boast around 150+ different species that are native to North America! Many are are native to Asia as well, and to be honest I love them just the same.

Below, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite viburnums that I am able to source in my area — inevitably, you will have access to different varieties and perhaps not be able to find many of these exactly. The important thing is that you discover the range of the plant and get inspired by a particular one — and then you can undoubtedly find a variety that is similar.

Where To Plant Viburnums

It is wise to read up on the one (or five) that catches your fancy before planting it, but in general, Viburnums excel anywhere with 4+ hours of direct sun per day.

As a reminder, “Full Sun” means 6-8+ hours of sun, “Part Sun” is 4-6 hours, and “Part Shade” is 2-4 hours of direct sun.

They will nearly all handle Part Sun, however the closer to 6 hours of direct sun they get the more blooms they’re likely to have.

Keep in mind that here in the SE, we get 14 hours of direct sun in the middle of a field. THIS IS A LOT. If you are planting these smack out in the middle of the yard, check to see if they can handle it. Several can, but in general they prefer to get a break from the afternoon heat.

Most prefer slightly acidic soil between 5.5-6.5, and a few can handle or even prefer more alkaline. Just do your googling and don’t forget to add .edu to your searches :D

And Now, A Tour of Viburnums

Summer Snowflake

Deciduous * 8-10’ wide x 6-8’ tall * Zones 5-8

Viburnum Plicatum Tomentosum ‘Summer Snowflake’ is a doublefile (Japanese Snowball) variety, similar to Steady Eddy, but will happily take up more space. If you want this look but don’t want something over 4x4 feet, choose Steady Eddy. If you are trying to fill space with a gorgeous hedge or specimen plant, I love this one.

Pearlific

Evergreen * 5’ wide x 5’ tall * Zones 6-9

This hybrid grows sweet, tiny clusters of white flowers that stay around for a meaningful bloom! The foliage has more of a silver undertone to it and I think pairs well with mediterranean herbs, lambs ear, lavender, etc. I’ve used this in places where a shrub MUST be evergreen, MUST stay small without constant pruning, but still needs to have a floral element. Because the bloom is very dense, it can be spotted at a far point in the garden. Of all the viburnums, online images of this one do not do it justice.

Chindo

Evergreen * 6-8’ wide x 12’ tall * Zones 7b-9b

Viburnum Awabuki ‘Chindo’ is a TANK of a plant. If you need a fast growing, evergreen hedge plant for a very spacious sunny area, Chindo is a great selection. Chindo’s have one of my favorite leaves in the ‘privacy shrub’ category — it’s the one that catches your eye at the nursery and you think, DAMN, that is a beautiful plant. It has a strong enough pyramidal form to be grown solo, but hedges very well when planted in a row about 6 feet apart. These are often sold in the largest gallon size (15 and 25) for immediate impact. I am curious if they can be kept at a lower height easily with regular pruning — if any readers know the answer, please let me know!

Glitters & Glows

Deciduous * 5’ tall x 5’ tall * Zones 4-8

Viburnum Dentatum ‘Glitters & Glows’ is a new plant — the lovechild of “All That Glitters” and “All That Glows.” Glossy leaves have not been a selling point for me until quite recently. I’ve always preferred a more natural aesthetic, but I’ve come to realize that glossiness makes leaves pop in a border, and they always look beautiful and healthy from a distance (ie. driving by your home; perfect front yard garden bed option). This one blooms later (early Summer) and is followed with loads of blue berries. Highly recommend for bird lovers.

NOTE: This one grows more upright and likely looks better in a grouping than solo.

Sterile / Chinese Snowball

Evergreen * 12+’ wide x 12+’ tall * Zones 6-9

Viburnum Macrocephalum ‘Sterile’ is a hydrangea dupe! But she can be a giant! Note that if you are in the SE with blasting heat, this plant will prefer some shade protection in the late afternoon. They grow up to 2’ per year which is FAST so don’t worry if you can only find small ones. Fantastic for arrangements.

Shasta

Evergreen * 8’ wide x 10’ tall * Zones 5-8

Viburnum Plicatum ‘Shasta’ is a large doublefile that is a back-of-border dream. Visually similar to a dogwood in the spring, this could be a good alternative if you are looking for more low privacy than a tree offers. If you can’t find this exact variety, don’t worry. Just ask for other doublefile varieties and make sure the size works for your space.

Popcorn

Semi-Evergreen * ~8’ wide x ~8’ tall * Zones 5-9

I would consider the Viburnum Plicatum ‘Popcorn’ a smaller option if you loved the Sterile Chinese Snowball but are worried about its eventual size. This one tends to be more compact & globe shaped where the Sterile is more tree form. Popcorn’s blooms are more clustered (like popcorn!) than the snowball which is more evenly spaced. Semi-evergreen means that in warm winters, it will likely keep its leaves but in cold winters it will likely drop. You also have a more likely chance of leaves staying in Zones 8/9 than 5/6, for example.

PS. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE agrees on the mature size of this plant, so I would expect it to stay smaller (4-5’ wide & 5-6’ tall) in a stressed area but get large (10-12’x10-12’) in her dream environment.

Steady Eddy

Deciduous * 5’ wide x 5’ tall * Zones 5-8

Viburnum Plicatum Tomentosum ‘Steady Eddy’ can be shoved anywhere and everywhere into gardens for an informal but bloomy shrub. I also think they are beautiful planted in masses. They prune well and bees adore them. The leaves are purple-ish in the fall too! They are reminiscent of lacecap hydrangeas and feel very feminine to me.

Shades of Pink

Evergreen * 3-4’ wide x 4-5’ tall * Zones 7-11

Smells sweet! Darker green foliage! Evergreen! Can handle wicked heat! Viburnum Tinus ‘Lisa Rosa’ Shades of Pink (and the next one, Spring Bouquet) feel to me like a modern take on azaleas — or at least just an upgrade. I have been using this as a small foundation plant that feels so much more interesting that a boxwood, azalea, or holly. I am asked constantly what the difference between ‘landscaping’ and ‘gardening’ is - and there’s no good answer. But putting this in as a foundation shrub? Makes it feel more like a garden. I also love this reference photo (above) showing it as a mid-sized hedge.

Spring Bouquet

Evergreen * 4-5’ width x 5-6’ height * Zones 7-9

‘Spring Bouquet’ and Shades of Pink are nearly identical. Shades of Pink has more of a burgundy undertone to the stems and keeps more pink to the flowers once they bloom, while Spring Bouquet opens up a bit more white. ROMANCE.

Korean Spice

Deciduous * 4-6’ wide x 8’ tall * Zones 7-9

Korean Spice is one of the most fragrant and perhaps best known Viburnums. It is also is one of the more shade tolerant. I do find it to be more of a woody shrub/tree in growth habit, so give her room but also consider underplanting with low perennials. There are also dwarf versions, like Spice Baby.

Conoy

Deciduous * 7-8’ wide x 5-6’ tall * Zones 6-9

Nurseries describe Viburnum x ‘Conoy’ as compact but I have yet to see it this way. It tends to be more of a wild looking sprawl in my eyes. I like it for more naturalistic spaces away from the home. It is fragrant, produces berries for the birds — the ideal shrubby shrub.

Nantucket

Deciduous * 7’ wide x 12’ tall * Zones 6-9

Okay I prefer Nantucket to Conoy just for the shape of blooms. My one critique of some of the mophead varieties is that the florets can be quite tiny/tight clusters — where Nantucket does feel more like a macrophylla hydrangea bloom. It’s a more airy cluster. Five stars from me. I have noticed when looking at several use cases that it tends to be more tall/upright/narrow.

Moonlit Lace

Evergreen * 4’ wide x 4’ tall * Zones 7-9

This shrub is a great example of why you hire garden designers. I don’t think anyone would voluntarily choose this at the nursery but I damn let me tell you about the magic I’ve created with it in the right spaces — haha. If you want a naturally rounded, evergreen, glossy shrub that always looks healthy, this girlie is IT. Her blooms aren’t as notable as Spring Bouquet & Shades of Pink, but she makes up for it with perfect form. I have also found this one to be very shade tolerant.

Mohawk

Deciduous * 8-10’ wide x 8-10’ tall * Zones 4-8

Viburnum x Burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ is another fragrant one! A well-awarded plant, this one turns a gorgeous deep red in the fall and is fantastic for late season color. It’s also semi-evergreen in nature so in North Carolina you can expect it to retain most its leaves unless we have a harsh winter.

Conclusion & Important Note

There are so many more! Go a-huntin’ in your area!

Keep in mind the sizes listed are their max maturity. It can take several years for a shrub to reach this size - maybe even 10 to 15 years.

The small (4x4ish) and mid-size (8x8ish) varieties can be easily pruned to keep in check if you do not want them to reach full size. If you are not trying to control the size, however, you’ll never need to prune.

If there are other viburnums you love, or have any viburnum tips, please leave in the comments. ✌🏼

Love,

Your local raisin aspiring to be a grape 🍇

“Therefore, be patient. Such pleasure as there is, is here, now. Take pleasure as it comes. Take work as it comes. The end may never come, or when it does it may be the wrong end.” ― Wendell Berry