May 3, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Home and Garden Festival

Versatile viburnums a vibrant addition to your garden
by MICHELLE CONNERS

Viburnums come in various colors to enhance your garden throughout the year.

This past summer I was asked to collect viburnum seed for the Beijing Botanical Garden from some of the native plants in our collection. While watching the seeds and waiting for them to ripen I got to experience the beauty of their full color range. The maturing fruits of Viburnum lentago, nannyberry, start out greenish-white, then turn pink, blue, and finally black. All these colors may be present in one cluster simultaneously, producing a striking effect.

Attractive late summer-early autumn fruit is not the only reason to include viburnums in your home garden. These shrubs or small trees also boast creamy white flowers, sometimes fragrant, in spring or early summer. The foliage can range from bright to very dark green. Some of the deciduous species have good fall color, while the evergreen species can make a statement in the garden all year long.

Like most groups of plants however, viburnums are not maintenance-free. Already favorites of browsing deer, some of our native woodland species are now threatened by the viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni). This European native found its way to North America through Canada, and has been moving south since 1978.

Also, some of the non-native viburnum species have been classified as invasive plants. Viburnum dilatatum (linden viburnum), V. plicatum (snowball viburnum), and V. sieboldii (Siebold viburnum) are species that potentially can spread beyond the intended planting. Feeding wildlife can spread their seed to disturbed areas and native ecosystems.

But yes, you should still make room for viburnums in your garden. There are plenty of species to pick from which have shown resistance to the viburnum leaf beetle and have not been proven to be invasive. This year’s Arboretum plant sale (Mother’s Day weekend) will include some lovely selections.

Viburnum wrightii ‘C. A. Hildebrant’s,’ which has a compact growth habit, produces abundant clusters of white, flat-topped flowers in late spring and ends the season with its leaves in a blaze of reds and maroons.

Plant Viburnum juddii next to a path or entranceway where you can enjoy the fragrance of this May bloomer. Its pleasing round form, dark green leathery summer foliage and burgundy fall color prolong the seasons of interest.

Six viburnums, including Viburnum burkwoodii ‘Conoy,’ have been chosen as PHS Gold Medal Plant Award winners. This U.S. National Arboretum introduction has glossy, dark green foliage, evergreen through zone 7, which sets off the creamy white flowers in mid-spring. If it is given a protected site in your garden, you can enjoy this compact plant wearing its winter coat of maroon.

The Dutch introductions Viburnum rhytidophylloides Dart’s Duke™ and V. rhytidophyllum ‘Green Trump’ have large, leathery dark green foliage that persists throughout the seasons. Try them as an unusual screening plant or mixed in with your other broadleaf evergreens.

Visit the Spring Plant Sale this year and check out the selection of viburnums. Their beauty and versatility will bring a new dimension to your home garden.

Michelle Conners is a Curatorial Assistant at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.