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.

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.

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.