PGJ_Viburnums_ANebraskaSampler

Korean Spice Viburnum for the strong clove-like scent of its flowers; Mohawk Viburnum for abundant red buds opening to white blossoms; Blackhaw Viburnum for glossy red fall foliage; Doublefile Viburnum for the strong horizontal tiering of its branches-noticeable year-round but most evident midwinter; Allegheny Viburnum for large, leathery leaves that may persist through the entire winter.
Most of them do well in shade or sun. They require very little maintenance, aren't particular about their surroundings, are susceptible to few pests, and all of them will offer several seasons of interest, regardless of the reason or season they were planted for.
In spite of the multi-season appeal all viburnums have, we'll approach them by season, moving from the viburnums most prominent for spring blossoms and fragrance, to those known for their ornamental fruits, to the viburnums with the most colorful fall foliage, on into those with winter interest.
Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii ), probably more than any other member of this group, is known for its fragrance. The strong clove-like fragrance can be noticed several blocks away when its pink buds open to white flowers in late April. It is a rounded shrub with very stiff, upright branches. Besides spring fragrance, summer foliage is soft, very pubescent, and often turns wine red in the fall. It can tolerate full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. The cultivar 'Cayuga' is slightly more compact (5 x 5').

The white flowers of Burkwood Viburnum (V. x burkwoodii ) are fragrant for a brief but worthwhile 7-10 days in April. The scent has been compared to winter daphne. Planting them in full sun increases flowering for this shrub. Fruits are sparse but may be likewise increased by planting other viburnums of the same species nearby for cross-pollination. It is more tolerant of heat and cold than many of the other fragrant viburnums and its leaves are glossy green.
The cultivar 'Mohawk' is known for several flowering traits: the abundance of inflorescences; their color-dark red buds opening to white flowers with red markings; and, since the buds appear several weeks before the flowers open, its extended period of spring color.

Fragrant Viburnum (V. x carlcephalum) has a wonderful scent and is one of the latest snowball-type viburnums to bloom, flowering in late April to early May. Its cold-tolerance in the northern half of Nebraska may be questionable.
The foliage of Judd Viburnum (V. x juddii ) is almost blue-green. Fragrance is similar to that of Korean Spice Viburnum and it's more heat-tolerant and less susceptible to bacterial leaf spot than many viburnums.

The fruits of Siebold Viburnum (V. sieboldii ) are likewise spectacular, changing from rose to red to black. This is one of the largest viburnums, growing to 20' or higher. It has a rigid growing habit and is recommended for specimen planting. Donald Wyman, a world renowned plantsman, says "If I were to choose only one viburnum for my garden, I think it would be this because of the splendid long (6") leaves, its very desirable branching habit, which results in rounded masses of foliage interspersed with open areas where lights and shadows add much interest, and its colorful fruits."

American Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum) has large, flat-topped flowers, yellow to reddish purple fall foliage and bright red fruits that may hold from September into February.
Another Viburnum outstanding for its fruits is Linden Viburnum (V. dilatatum). Drupes are bright, cherry red September through October, sometimes drying and persisting into December when they look like "withered red raisins." Its leaves also hold late and can turn a bronze or burgundy color.
Arrowwood Viburnum (V. dentatum) can have beautiful glossy red to purple foliage but Dirr warns that "there is great variability within this species; I have seen poor fall colored specimens growing next to brilliant glossy red forms; the differences were not attributable to soils or climate but genetics." Fruits are bluish black and birds like them.

Arrowwood Viburnum

One of the good viburnums for specimen planting is Blackhaw Viburnum (V. prunifolium). It looks very much like a hawthorn with its stiff, gray-brown upright branches, and it has good fall color. Flowers are white with yellow stamens and fruits go from pink to bluish black. It is similar to Nannyberry Viburnum but more resistant to mildew.

Though its foliage doesn't tend to take on fall color, the dark green, leathery leaves of Lantanaphyllum Viburnum, (V. x rhytidophylloides) persist into winter. The cultivar 'Alleghany' has somewhat smaller and even more persistent foliage. Inflorescences are yellowish white and fruits a bright red turning to black. The deeply ridged foliage of 'Willowwood' also may persist into the spring. Its branches have a slightly more arching habit.

Leatherleaf Viburnum (V. rhytidophyllum) is aptly named. Its leaves are sturdy with deep wrinkles, and if planted in a protected micro-climate, can be evergreen even in Nebraska. Flowers are yellowish white in mid-May, fruits red to black and possibly holding into December. This species is tolerant of hot, dry, sunny locations.

Michael Dirr, perhaps the most famous contemporary American plantsman, calls Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum) "possibly the most elegant of flowering shrubs." The strongly horizontal, tiered branches are evident even with full foliage. Mid-winter they really stand out. In spring, the pure white flowers are not particularly showy, but since they are borne in layers above the stratified foliage, they accentuate the horizontal habit of the branches. Fruits appear early, going from red to black in July and August, and are quickly devoured by birds.
It flowers as well in shade as in sun and, since it is not very tolerant of heat and dry soils, should probably be planted as an understory shrub. Hardiness is zone 5 to 8, and it may be more susceptible to winterkill than the other viburnums. Improved cultivars of V. plicatum var. tomentosum: 'Mariesii' and 'Shasta,' are recommended.

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