VIBURNUM

VIBURNUM

Choosing the Right Viburnum for Your Garden

Viburnums are among the most popular landscape shrubs, prized for being both exceptionally attractive and highly functional. With so many cultivars available, there is a variety suited for almost any garden design. Fragrant viburnums burst into bloom in the spring, often giving way to colorful berries by the fall. If you want your viburnum to produce an abundant display of berries for local birds, be sure to plant several different compatible varieties that bloom at the same time to ensure successful cross-pollination.

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Fall Interest Viburnums

For jaw-dropping autumn color and brilliant seasonal fruit, consider these standout varieties:

• Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum): Celebrated for its heavy fall berry production, its dark green leaves transition to a striking purplish-red in autumn, accompanied by drooping clusters of bright red fruit. It typically matures to an upright 8–12 feet tall.

• Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum): A personal favorite of Chris Wileys’ for its breathtaking floral displays.

• Viburnum dilatatum 'Cardinal Candy'): Noted for its heavy clusters of drooping red berries.

• Viburnum dilatatum 'Michael Dodge': Unique for producing distinctive, drooping yellow berries.

Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ and some Virginia Creeper

Viburnum plicatum

Native Viburnums

• Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum): Native to Martha’s Vineyard, this hardy shrub grows wild across Chilmark and the woodlands of West Tisbury. Non-fragrant, flat-topped white flowers emerge in late spring, giving way to deep blue-black berries that songbirds and wildlife adore. Tolerant of light shade and deer-resistant, it is a wonderful choice for naturalistic plantings or ecological restoration projects. We carry the popular cultivar 'Blue Muffin'.

Evergreen Viburnums

• Prague Viburnum (Viburnum × pragense): Features creamy-white flowers in spring that transition to early-fall berries (starting red and maturing to glossy black). Reaching roughly 10–12 feet tall, it thrives in full sun to partial shade.

• Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum): A large, bold evergreen shrub featuring rough-textured foliage and creamy-white spring flowers.

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Viburnum x burkwoodii [photo credit: keith kurman]

Fragrant Spring-Blooming Viburnums

• Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii): A classic favorite celebrated for its intensely sweet fragrance. Deep reddish-pink buds open in early spring into 3-inch, snowball-like clusters of aromatic blooms. Preferring full sun to partial shade, it typically matures to a compact 4–6 feet tall and wide.

• Fragrant Arrowwood (Viburnum × carlcephalum): A multi-stemmed shrub with an open, rounded form. It produces fragrant, snowball-type blooms in spring alongside lovely reddish autumn foliage. Best fruit production occurs when planted in groups, and it boasts good drought tolerance once established, eventually growing 6–10 feet tall and wide.

• Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum × burkwoodii): An early-spring beauty originating from the Korean Spice family. Under ideal conditions, it can mature up to 10x10 feet. In late April to early May, it puts on a show with pinkish-white flower clusters carrying an insanely delicious fragrance. With gorgeous dark green foliage, it functions beautifully as a privacy hedge, screen, or standalone accent plant.

Fragrant Viburnum

Viburnum x burkwoodii

FALL TREES & SHRUBS

FALL TREES

& SHRUBS

Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs! The combination of the weather cooling down and fall rain allows plants to establish their roots. Planting in the fall also gives trees and shrubs an extra growing season before the stress of summer heat and drought.

On warm days from here on out the Witchhazels will be unfurling their ribbon-like petals creating brilliant splashes of color in the stark winter landscape.

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TREES

Trees are exceptional fall extenders, offering stunning foliage transitions and late-season blooms that keep the landscape vibrant long after summer fades.

• Franklinia alatamaha (Franklin Tree): Native to US. Typically grows to 15’x10’. Showy fragrant white flowers in August. Great fall color! Plant in full sun with light shade in moist soil.

• Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle: Multi stemmed trees with beautiful late season color. Blooms late summer into fall. Exfoliating bark which continues to be showy into winter. Great diversity available.

• Maple Trees: Known for their fall color. {10 best Maples for fall color}

  • Acer palmatum: Japanese maples are easy to grow, cold hardy and remarkable adaptable. Their green leaf forms have the best fall color!

  • Acer ginnala: This smaller maple can be used as small specimen, patio tree and even works well in a container. It has a particularly fabulous fall color!

• Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 10’ x 8’. Plant in full sun. It tolerates drought once established. Deer resistant.

• Nysa sylvatica (Beetlebung Tree): An island native that grows where there is quite a bit of water. Often found growing in low points and bogs on the island. Has beautiful fall color and a distinguished shape. We have some young beauties for sale at the nursery.

• Osmanthus heterophyllus (False Holly): An evergreen shrub that typically grows to 10’ x 10’. Blooms late fall into the winter (Oct-Nov) with small fragrant white flowers. Shade tolerant and deer resistant.

• Oxydendron arboreum: Native tree known for its fall color.

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Nyssa sylvatica fall color

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Hydrangea paniculata "‘Quickfire’

SHRUBS

Shrubs serve as wonderful seasonal extenders, bringing extended interest through late-season berries, persistent blooms, and brilliant autumn foliage.

• Callicarpa dichotoma: Beauty Bush with beautiful lavender berries.

  • Early Amethyst: A smaller variety

  • Pearl Glam: A new Proven Winner cultivar, with dark foliage.

• Callicarpa japonica Leucocarpa: An upright beauty berry with white berries. Pale pink-white flowers in summer.

• Fothergilla: A native shrub known for its fall color. It blooms in June and later lights up your yard with red and purple fall color. If you need a large shrub the species to get is major. There is a dwarf species available called gardenii, for a smaller shrub.

• Hamamelis (Witch Hazel): Large native shrubs known for their fall color.

  • Hamamelis virginiana: A fall yellow bloomer

  • Hamamelis vernalis: Blooms in February

• Hydrangeas: Many of the panicle hydrangeas fade to pink and hold the dried blooms way into the fall. There are some late summer bloomers that bloom into fall.

• Symphoricarpos (Snow Berry): A season extender. This shrub has large white berries.

• Vaccinium Corymbosum (High bush blueberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 8’x 6’. Great fall color! Plant in full sun. Deer resistant.

• Viburnums: There are many which have fabulous fall color and berries.

  • Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Non-fragrant flat-topped white flowers appear in late spring. Flowers give way to blue-black, berries which are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Tolerates light shade.

  • Viburnum dilatatum: Known for their drooping berries. We carry Cardinal Candy with red berries and Michael Dodge with yellow berries.

  • Viburnum plicatums: These are Chris Wiley’s favorite Viburnum in flower.

Viburnum dilatatum Michael Dodge and some Virginia Creeper

late season spent flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla

Callicarpa dichotoma Beauty Berry