It’s Whit over at NatureHills.com back to talk about some incredible flowering Viburnum shrubs. Featuring textured foliage with toothy or scalloped edges, these large and small bushes have flat-topped umbles or round mophead style creamy white flowers that will rival Hydrangea flowers!
The Viburnum family has over 150 species, and there are both evergreen and deciduous varieties and most of them have a colorful, sometimes edible berries for late summer and fall interest! If you need a hardy shrub that is tough and disease-resistant, Viburnums are incredibly easy to care for and maintain, they can be pruned, shaped, planted in tough sites, and still look great!
Instead of trying to narrow down our list of 150 to 5, I separated our list into types and will give a couple examples of each that we love.
5 American Cranberry Viburnums
Also called Cranberrybush Viburnum and Highbush Cranberry, these natives grow as rounded shrubs up to 12 feet in height and width. Add the flat flower heads full of white lacy florets and dramatic purple-red fall color and you’ve got a winning combination for a statement piece. You and the birds will love the persistent red cranberry-like berries. They’ll eat right off the bush but you might consider making jams and jellies out of them. Try American, Wentworth, or Bailey Compact varieties if you have a large spot in the landscape to fill. #5 American Cranberry Viburnums, Growing zones 2-7, maple leaf-like lobed leaves, and can live up to 40 years. Cold-resistant in growing zones 2 to 7.
Learn more: https://www.naturehills.com/viburnum-american-cranberrybush
4 Blackhaw Viburnums
The native Blackhaw Viburnum has fizzy little florets that pack into flat clusters in spring. Bees go crazy for the yellow pollen stamen and the textured dark green foliage has a coppery color with pale undersides and red stems for a triple-color impact. Then the bold burgundy fall color makes an appearance along with the dark blue fruit known as drupes for the birds. Try the original Blackhaw or variations like Summer Magic and Forest Rouge. #4 Blackhaw Viburnums - Growing zones 3-9, tolerates average to high moisture soils, grows up to 15 feet tall and wide, and will need a pollinating partner to set fruit.
Learn more: https://www.naturehills.com/viburnum-blackhaw
3 Arrowwood Viburnums
The straight-stemmed Arrowwood Viburnums have scented lace-cap flower clusters of tiny lacy white blooms and extremely glossy and textured leaves. They also have some of the most dramatic and brilliant blue berries for the birds with varieties almost a metallic blue color! There’s plenty to pick from like the original Arrowwood, Autumn Jazz, Blue Muffin or Chicago Lustre. #3 Arrowwood Viburnums - Growing zones 3-8, Durable, adaptable and fast-growing, 10 foot rounded shrub, and has great fall color.
Learn more: https://www.naturehills.com/viburnum-arrowwood
2 Fragrant Viburnums
Want to add some perfume to the list of perks Viburnum already has to offer? Check out the Fragrant Viburnum, or variations like Korean Spice and Spice Baby. They emit sweet, vanilla and spice scents from their pink and white florets that form rounded flowering displays! Complete with the toothy textured foliage, fantastic fall color, and more, these fragrant Viburnum varieties come in a range of sizes and growing zones for you to choose from! #2 Fragrant Viburnums - Growing zones range from 4-9, delightfully fragrant, textured foliage, great fall color, and plenty of varieties to choose from.
Learn more: https://www.naturehills.com/viburnum-fragrant
1 Snowball Viburnums
Our number one pick is a standout with big round puffballs that will make Hydrangea jealous! The Snowball Viburnum and its 5 varieties create huge pom poms packed with lightly-scented florets on arching branches and pleated toothy green leaves. These shrubs do great in hardiness zones 4-9, with the Chinese Snowball doing best in zones 6 to 9. They are sterile so there’s no self-seeding or messy fruit to deal with. #1 Snowball Viburnums - growing zones range from 4-9, grows 6-9 feet tall and wide, fruitless, and is a great alternative to hydrangeas.
Learn more: https://www.naturehills.com/viburnum-common-snowball-bush
What are your favorite viburnum varieties? Let me know down in the comments. If you didn’t hear one that floats your boat, no problem, we have plenty of other options to choose from on our site. Head on over to check them out.
Viburnums: https://www.naturehills.com/bushes-and-shrubs/bushes-and-shrubs-varieties/viburnum-shrubs
Birds, bees, butterflies, and berries, the Viburnum family has it all! If you’d like to know more about taking care of flowering shrubs like Viburnum - head on over to our #ProPlantTips blog. We share tips and tricks for keeping Viburnum happy, healthy, and adding interest to your garden all season long!
https://www.naturehills.com/blog/post/nature-hills-top-5-amazing-viburnum-shrubs-and-their-care
Until next time, happy planting!