Viburnums are among the most versatile garden shrubs, offering multi-season interest with fragrant flowers, colorful fruit, attractive foliage, and adaptable habits. With 150+ species, there's a viburnum for nearly every landscape need.
Why Choose Viburnums?
- Three-season interest (flowers, fruit, fall color)
- Many intensely fragrant species
- Excellent wildlife value (berries for birds, nectar for pollinators)
- Adaptable to sun/shade, various soils
- Range of sizes: 2-foot dwarfs to 20-foot trees
- Generally pest and disease resistant
Top Landscape Viburnums
Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii)
Size: 4-6 feet tall and wide
Bloom: Mid-spring; pink buds → white snowballs; intensely spicy-sweet fragrance
Fall: Wine-red foliage
Conditions: Sun to part shade; well-drained soil; zones 4-7
Cultivars: 'Compactum' (3-4'), 'Aurora' (larger flowers)
Judd Viburnum (Viburnum × juddii)
Size: 6-8 feet
Bloom: Mid-spring; fragrant white semi-snowballs
Features: More heat tolerant than Korean spice; glossy foliage
Mohawk Viburnum (Viburnum × burkwoodii 'Mohawk')
Size: 8-10 feet
Bloom: Mid-spring; red buds → white; spicy fragrance
Fall: Orange-red foliage
Features: Semi-evergreen in mild winters
Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
Size: 6-10 feet
Bloom: Late spring; white flat-topped clusters
Fruit: Blue-black berries—bird favorite
Fall: Yellow to red-purple
Conditions: Very adaptable; wet to dry; sun to shade
Cultivars: 'Blue Muffin' (compact, heavy fruit), 'Chicago Lustre' (glossy)
Tea Viburnum (Viburnum setigerum)
Size: 8-12 feet; vase-shaped
Bloom: Late spring; white lacecaps
Fruit: Spectacular red-orange berries persist into winter
Foliage: Dark blue-green; red fall color
Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum)
Size: 10-15 feet
Foliage: Large, leathery, deeply veined, dark green; fuzzy gray undersides
Bloom: Late spring; white clusters
Fruit: Red to black
Conditions: Shade tolerant; evergreen in zone 6+
Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum)
Size: 8-10 feet; horizontal tiered branching
Bloom: Mid-spring; white lacecaps along branches
Fruit: Red to black
Fall: Burgundy-purple
Cultivars: 'Mariesii', 'Shasta', 'Summer Snowflake' (reblooms)
Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum × burkwoodii)
Size: 8-10 feet
Bloom: Mid-spring; fragrant white; semi-evergreen
Fall: Red foliage
Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana)
Size: 10-15 feet
Foliage: Thick, dark green, fuzzy beneath
Fruit: Red to black; showy
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
Size: 15-20 feet; tree-like
Bloom: Late spring; white flat clusters
Fruit: Blue-black; edible (jams)
Fall: Red-purple
Native: Eastern North America
Growing Conditions
- Soil: Moist, well-drained; adaptable to clay, loam, sand
- pH: 5.6-6.6 ideal; tolerates alkaline
- Sun: Full sun to part shade (flowering best with more sun)
- Water: Moderate; established plants drought tolerant
- Zones: Most 3-8; check species
Propagation
- Softwood cuttings: June-July; root in perlite/peat under mist
- Layering: Bend low branch to ground; wound; pin; sever when rooted
- Seeds: Require cold stratification; 2+ years to bloom
Pruning Guidelines
- When: Immediately after flowering (spring bloomers)
- Maintenance: Remove dead, diseased, crossing branches
- Shape: Lightly trim to maintain form
- Rejuvenation: Remove ⅓ oldest stems to base annually
- Never remove: More than ⅓ total growth in one year
Fertilizing
- Slow-release balanced fertilizer in early spring
- Compost mulch annually
- Avoid high nitrogen (reduces flowering)
Common Problems & Solutions
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Action |
|---|
| Yellowing leaves, stunted growth | Nematodes (root knot) | Solarize soil; resistant cultivars; organic matter |
| Discolored, curled leaves | Aphids on new growth | Insecticidal soap; horticultural oil; lady beetles |
| Leaf spots, blotches | Fungal leaf spot | Improve air flow; avoid overhead water; fungicide if severe |
| Dieback, cankers | Botryosphaeria canker | Prune out infected wood; avoid stress |
Design Uses
- Mixed borders (mid-layer)
- Hedges and screens (arrowwood, leatherleaf)
- Specimen (doublefile, tea viburnum)
- Wildlife gardens (all species)
- Woodland edge (native species)
- Foundation plantings (compact cultivars)
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