How to Grow Viburnum

Viburnums are easy to grow and extremely varied. Whether you want showy spring blooms, scented winter flowers or colourful foliage, there’s a viburnum to suit, with many cultivars offering year-round interest.

Viburnum is a varied genus of shrubs, with evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous varieties that come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on which viburnum you buy, you could enjoy winter flowers and greenery, autumn colour, berries, scented flowers or dramatic spring blooms.

Most evergreen viburnums you’ll see are cultivars of Viburnum tinus, a hardy shrub with scented winter flowers. A more compact evergreen shrub is Viburnum davidii, which is best known for its shimmering blue berries, but also has attractive textured leaves. Deciduous viburnums are varied; Viburnum × bodnantense offers fragrant pink flowers in winter, while guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) and Viburnum plicatum cultivars bloom in spring and early summer. To ensure you get berries, it’s best to plant several viburnums of the same species together.

 

Where to plant viburnum

Most viburnums prefer a sunny spot, though they can cope with a bit of shade. Evergreen varieties, particularly Viburnum davidii, can often cope with more shade. Viburnum × bodnantense 'Dawn' will also grow well in partial shade, but bear in mind that heavy shade will affect flowering.

Viburnum will tolerate a range of soil types, as long as the soil isn’t too wet or too dry. It prefers fertile, slightly acidic soil, but most varieties will cope with chalky soil.

Most viburnums are medium or large shrubs that are best planted in the ground, either as part of a border or hedge. Viburnum plicatum cultivars also look good as a specimen shrub or tree. If you want to grow viburnum in pots, it’s best to choose a smaller species, such as Viburnum davidii. Some cultivars of Viburnum tinus, such as Viburnum ‘Lisarose’ can be grown in large pots.  

 

When to plant viburnum

Evergreen viburnums, like Viburnum tinus, are best planted in early spring, though you can also plant them in autumn, before the soil gets too cold. Deciduous viburnums should be planted in the dormant season, between autumn and early spring. Avoid planting when the ground is frozen or during a long dry spell.

 

How to plant viburnum

You don’t need to do much soil preparation for viburnums, but if you have sandy soil or heavy clay, it’s worth digging in some organic matter before planting. 

When planting a container-grown viburnum shrub, water the plant well an hour or so before planting. Dig a hole the same depth as the pot, but at least twice as wide. Remove the shrub from its container and gently loosen the roots before placing it in the hole. Backfill the soil to the same level as when the shrub was in the pot, and then gently firm the soil. Give the plant a good drink and spread some mulch around it to deter weeds, making sure the mulch doesn’t touch the shrub itself.

If you’re planting a viburnum hedge, follow the steps in our guide to planting hedges.

 

How to care for viburnum

Newly planted viburnums will need watering for the first couple of years. Once established, evergreen varieties are fairly drought tolerant, but spring and summer-flowering viburnums may need watering during the summer, particularly during dry periods.

You don’t have to feed viburnum, but it’ll benefit from an annual feed of fish, blood and bone or a similar fertiliser in spring. After feeding, add a couple of inches of compost or well-rotted manure to help keep the soil moist and weed-free. 

Pruning viburnum

Viburnums generally don’t need a lot of pruning, but some varieties tolerate it better than others. You can cut back Viburnum tinus cultivars annually, for example, if you need to trim a viburnum hedge or want to keep the shrub compact. It’s worth pruning Viburnum × bodnantense and Viburnum farreri annually in spring once they’ve finished flowering.

Most other varieties can tolerate hard pruning if necessary, for example, if they’ve become overgrown or need regenerating. It’s best to do this in early summer (after flowering) to minimise the impact on the following year’s growth.

 

How to grow viburnum from cuttings

You can propagate viburnum and grow new plants by taking cuttings. The type of viburnum and time of year determine which type of cutting to take:

• Softwood cuttings of new shoot material are suitable for most deciduous viburnums, including Viburnum × bodnantense, Viburnum plicatum, Viburnum × burkwoodii and Viburnum opulus. You want to take these between late spring and early summer. Softwood cuttings typically have the best chance of rooting.

• Semi-ripe cuttings are suitable for evergreen and semi-evergreen viburnum, such as Viburnum tinus and Viburnum davidii. Take cuttings from mid-summer through to early autumn, choosing sections of the current season’s growth with a soft tip and firm base.

• Hardwood cuttings can be used to propagate deciduous viburnum, including Viburnum opulus, Viburnum × bodnantense and Viburnum farreri. These are slower to root than softwood cuttings, but they’re reliable, and you can take them during the plant’s dormant season, when you may have fewer jobs to do in the garden.

 

Common problems

Viburnum shrubs are generally resilient, though they are susceptible to honey fungus. If you notice signs of shrubs dying back,cracked or bleeding bark or unusual flowering, then check for signs of white mycelium under the bark at ground level. Unfortunately, if it is honey fungus, you’ll need to dig up and destroy as much of the shrub and its roots as you can.

Viburnum tinus and Viburnum opulus cultivars may be affected by viburnum beetle. The larvae and adult beetles eat the leaves, with most damage being caused by the larvae in spring. Healthy plants usually recover, but you can remove larvae by hand or use nematodes to minimise the impact.

Viburnum scale and viburnum whitefly can also affect Viburnum tinus. These sap sucking bugs are hard to get rid of, but encouraging natural predators such as ladybirds, wasps, ground beetles and birds may help.

Deciduous cultivars of Viburnum opulus and Viburnum carlesii may become winter hosts for viburnum aphids. These tend to cause minor damage to the viburnum, unless it’s a large population, but they can affect beans, nasturtiums and dahlias.

 

Our favourite varieties of viburnum

Viburnum tinus is perhaps the best known viburnum, with many cultivars offering evergreen foliage and lightly scented winter flowers. It’s a popular hedging plant, as you can clip it hard (though not too narrowly) for a formal style or let it develop a natural, rounded shape in an informal hedge.

Viburnum opulus 'Roseum', also known as the red guelder rose or snowball bush, is grown primarily for its huge round clusters of white flowers that bloom in April and May. It doesn’t produce berries, but the leaves turn a gorgeous purple-red colour in autumn.

Viburnum × bodnantense 'Dawn' is one of the best scented viburnums. It’s a deciduous cultivar that produces clusters of pink flowers on its bare stems from December through to March. Plant it next to a path to make the most of its honey fragrance.

Viburnum davidii has some of the most striking berries of any viburnum. The bright metallic blue-black berries appear atop red stalks in autumn. Plant both male and female shrubs to guarantee berries. This viburnum is low maintenance and more compact than other varieties.

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Mariesii' is an upright, deciduous viburnum with veined green leaves that turn purple in autumn. Flat clusters of white flowers bloom in spring. The wide, tiered branches give the shrub an elegant style reminiscent of Japanese gardens.

 

FAQ

When is the best time to plant viburnum?

You can plant pot-grown viburnum at any time of year, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. You should plant bare root deciduous viburnum, such as a guelder rose hedge, during the plant's dormant period, between late autumn and late winter.

How long does viburnum take to grow?

Viburnum shrubs grow between one and two feet a year, depending on the variety. Some can take several decades to reach their final height. 

When should you prune viburnum?

You should prune viburnums after flowering. For winter-flowering species, such as Viburnum tinus and Viburnum × bodnantense, carry out pruning in spring. Prune spring-flowering varieties in early summer.