Garden missing something?
Fill the void with Viburnum.
By
Amy McDowell
“A garden without Viburnums is akin to life
without music and art,” says world-renowned woody plant expert Michael Dirr.
Vibrunums are native Iowa shrubs that have
been long overlooked. They’re durable and trouble-free with foliage that varies
from glossy smooth to woolly rough. Their blooms in May and June are primarily
white, although some are light pink or have pink buds. Blossoms are followed by
edible berries that not only help feed birds through the winter, but make tasty
jellies and preserves. Fall color is primarily deep red but V. dentatum, V.
opulus, V. sargentii and V. trilobum also turn yellow or orange.
Choosing Viburnums is challenging because
there are 225 species and almost all have some desirable attributes. I’m
showcasing a few here that make outstanding contributions to central Iowa
gardens.
V. cassinoides has beautiful blooms,
chameleon-like berries and glossy foliage that turns a heart-throbbing deep
burgundy in the fall. Tiny pistils protruding from the center of each blossom
make the white flower clusters look fuzzy. The berries begin greenish white and
turn pale pink, darken until they’re red, change to blue and finally age to
black. It’s not unusual to see different colored berries creating vivid
contrast in the same cluster. V. cassinoides generally grows to about 6 feet
tall and wide with a rare 15-foot potential.
A couple of taller Viburnums such as V.
prunifolium and V. sieboldii can be pruned into shapely tree forms and used to
anchor perennial gardens. V. prunifolium (nicknamed Blackhaw) flowers in late
May. Berries begin pink and age to blue-black. Fall color is bronze to red, and
this Viburnum grows 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. As for V.
sieboldii, the shiny dark green foliage doesn’t usually turn to anything
special in the fall, but it is smothered with white flower clusters in June.
The showy fruit begins rosey pink and turns to red, then black. V. sieboldii
matures to about 15 to 20 feet high and 10 to 15 feet wide.
V. dilatatum is nicknamed Linden Viburnum,
supposedly because the foliage resembles that of the linden tree (Tilia
species), although I don’t see a striking resemblence. Broad 3- to 5-inch
clusters of blooms are abundant in early June and red or yellow berries
(depending on cultivar) create a dazzling fall show. The fruit is a last resort
for birds, who wait to eat the shriveled berries in February and March when
other food sources have been depleted. I’ve even read that the berries are
fermented enough by late winter that the birds can actually become intoxicated
from eating them!
Several varieties, including V. x
burkwoodii, V. x carlcephalum, V. carlesii, V. ferreri, V. x juddii and V. x
pragense, have fragrant flowers. In recent years, breeders have introduced
white- or yellow-variegated V. lantanas and a yellow-foliaged V. opulus.
This is just a sample of the bounteous
choices. If your garden is missing something, try a Viburnum to fill the void.
