Suburban Gardener—

Unknown And Underused: The Viburnum

By Gerry McCabe

I must confess that until I started school, I did not know what a Virburnum was let alone its impact it has on the garden and on wildlife. I had probably seen plenty of them but never paid any attention to their diversity and their beauty. I simply thought of them as just another “hydrangea-type” bush best suited for older properties and cemeteries.

But how a wee bit of education, sparked with the redevelopment of my respect for the environment, can change the way I put the big picture into focus! Last year, at Howard Whittemore Memorial Library in Naugatuck , while planting a Viburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Shoshoni’ (whew!), more commonly known as Doublefile or Shoshoni Viburnum, a parent asked me to repeat the name of this bird-attracting shrub.

It later dawned on me that the popularity of this plant had fallen to the wayside, being shoved aside by Weeping Cherries, Bradford Pears and the “home center” crops of azaleas. Not to falter these plants, but their mass production and ditto property plantings have made a stroll down the street less enchanting. For these plants present a sudden wash of color… and then what? At least a viburnum offers additional seasonal interest. Spring and summer will come forth with spectacular blooms and fragrance, followed by bird-attracting fall berries of many changing colors — among them red, blue gold and black — with some that even hang on into winter. With such a glorious, colorful show of autumn color and thicket-like structure for the sheltering of wildlife in the winter, how can anyone ignore this shrub?

With over 100 species of viburnums out there, there has to be one to suit everyone’s taste. The Shoshoni Viburnum we planted at the library will bloom astoundingly in May with unique, flattened, horizontal masses of creamy white flowers to be followed by bird-luring red berries. Autumn will change the ridged, dark green foliage to red/brown accenting the berries, which have now matured to black. (If there are any left!) The shrub should grow to five foot high to eight foot wide.

On a larger scale, great for privacy borders in summer, is the American Cranberry Bush or Viburnum trilobum. This bush can grow to 12 feet in height and spread to the same width, and the floral display in late May is astounding. The berries of this viburnum resemble cranberries and many jams have been made out of them if you are quicker than the birds. The leaves resemble maple leaves and turn a brilliant yellow to red-purple in fall.

Viburnum carlesii, or Koreanspice Viburnum, has got to be the sweetheart of viburnums. Here you will see tiny rose-pink buds open to perfect white globular masses of white flowers with a fragrance that will just astonish you. Amazingly, the show does not stop there. Egg shaped red to black berries in fall accompanied by wine red autumn foliage will finish out the show.

Do you have an Oriental theme to your garden? How about Viburnum setigerum, or Tea Viburnum? This one is a delicate shrub growing to ten feet high with tiny white two-inch clusters of flattened white flowers appearing on the branches in a layered effect. Bright red berries attract an influx of birds in the fall, while the foliage transforms to orange in the fall.

Let’s not forget there is a semi-evergreen viburnum, Vibunum rhytidophyllum or Leatherleaf Viburnum. Here is shrub that will keep its wrinkly, fuzzy leaves through winter, bloom in May, support abundant red berries in fall and, get this, will tolerate shade or part shade.

So get out to the nurseries and garden centers this weekend and ask the personnel to show you what they have in Viburnums. Chances are a big smile will come to their faces as they lead you to their patch. Let them spout out the pluses and the minuses of each variety. Believe me, they will find it a pleasant change of pace from the ordinary. And you will, too.

(When she isn’t tending to her garden at home, Gerry McCabe spends some of her time continuing her gardening education at Naugatuck Valley College in Waterbury. Gerry can be reached at TNGCATS@aol.com.)