How to grow viburnum

What are viburnums?

Viburnums are popular flowering and fruiting shrubs in all sizes and are either evergreen or deciduous

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

(so they lose their leaves over winter). Most are robust, versatile and easy to grow, and there are options to suit all soil types, in sun or shade.

The small flowers, usually held in clusters, are often fragrant. They range in colour from white to cream to shades of pink, and appear at various times of year, depending on the species. Attractive berry-like fruits often follow, and some provide colourful autumn foliage too.

Viburnums offer shelter, nesting sites and food for a wide range of wildlife, including pollinating insects and birds.

Finding the right viburnums for you

There are so many excellent viburnums to choose from that it can be hard to know where to start. So to narrow down the choices, consider what you want from your plant:

Flowering season

Although many viburnum flower in spring and early summer, some are noted for being winter flowering and early spring flowering

Viburnum for seasonal interest

Flower types

The flowers are usually small and held in clusters. V. plicatum cultivars offer particularly showy flowerheads, either flat-topped, like lacecap hydrangeas, or rounded like snowballs

Scent

Many viburnums offer fragrant blooms, including V. farreri and V. × bodnantense cultivars

Fruits

If you grow two or more of the same species (to ensure cross- pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from a male anther to a female stigma, either within the same flower or between two different flowers. It’s usually followed by fertilisation and seed production. Some flowers are pollinated by insects or other small creatures, others are wind pollinated. It’s also possible to pollinate flowers by hand, if you want to breed new plants or ensure successful pollination when there are few natural pollinators.

), many viburnums will produce clusters of ornamental berry-like fruits in autumn. The choice of colours includes red, pink, black and blue. These are often a valuable food source for birds in winter.

Viburnum for ornamental & colourful fruit

Evergreen

Some viburnums keep their leaves all year round, providing valuable structure and screening.

Evergreen & deciduous viburnum

Deciduous

Many viburnums lose their leaves over winter, and some offer vibrant autumn foliage beforehand.

Evergeen & deciduous viburnum

Hedges or ground cover

Evergreens such as V. tinus 'Eve Price' make excellent dense, flowering hedges, 1.5–1.8m (5–6ft) high, whileV. davidii is ideal as dense ground cover at 90cm (3ft) tall.

There are 25 Viburnum species and cultivars with an RHS Award of Garden Merit, which shows they performed well in RHS trials, so are reliable choices.

To browse photos and descriptions of viburnums, go to RHS Find a Plant. You can search by ultimate size, flowering time, growing conditions, RHS Award of Garden Merit and more, to help narrow down your choices.

To see and compare lots of viburnums in a garden setting, visit RHS Garden Hyde Hall, which holds the National Collection of Viburnum.

Always check plant labels or cultivar

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

descriptions before buying, to make sure you have enough space for the plant’s eventual size.

How and what to buy

Viburnums are widely available all year round in garden centres, nurseries and online by mail order. They are usually sold in large containers, 2 litres and upwards, for immediate planting.

Use RHS Find a Plant to track down stockists of specific Viburnum species and cultivars.

Buying: trees and shrubs

RHS Guide to choosing healthy plants

When to plant

• Deciduous
  

  Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

  viburnums, which lose their leaves over winter, should be planted from autumn to early spring, as long as the ground isn't very wet or frozen. This gives them plenty of time to settle in before any hot, dry summer weather
• Evergreens, which keep their leaves all year, are best planted in early spring or autumn

Viburnums can also be planted at other times, but try to avoid hot or dry spells, as they may struggle to establish. Take particular care to water regularly.

Where to plant

• Most viburnums like an open, sunny site
• Some species, such as Viburnum davidii, V. rhytidophyllum and V. × bodnantense, are also happy in shadier positions

Microclimates: assessing your garden

How to plant

Planting a shrub is quick and easy, but worth doing carefully to ensure it settles in well and thrives for years to come.

Follow our guides for step-by-step advice:

• For planting in borders
• For planting a hedge

Watering

You should water newly planted viburnums as needed for their first year or two, especially in dry periods.

Even once established, shallow-rooted viburnums, especially many summer-flowering species, may need watering during summer if the soil dries out.

Evergreen viburnums are usually more drought tolerant and don’t generally need additional watering once established.

Collecting, storing and reusing water

Feeding and mulching

Viburnums need little or no regular feeding in most garden soils. Annual mulching should be sufficient.

In early spring, apply a mulch

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

– a 5cm (2in) layer of bulky organic matter such as home-made compost or well-rotted manure. Leave a mulch-free circle immediately around the base of the plant to prevent rotting.

How to feed plants

Mulches and mulching

Pruning

Many viburnums require little or no pruning, although most can be pruned if they outgrow their space. A few are best pruned annually to keep them well shaped and flowering strongly.

• Little or no pruning – Viburnum carlesii, V. ×carlcephalum, V. ×juddii, V. plicatum
• Little or no pruning needed, but they can be hard pruned to regenerate them – V. opulus, V. × burkwoodii, V. davidii
• Prune annually after flowering – V. × bodnantense and V. farreri, removing up to a third of the old wood at the base; V. tinus and V. rhytidophyllum, to control height and shape

RHS Pruning Groups

Shrubs: renovation

RHS beginner's guide to pruning

Most viburnums can be grown from cuttings

A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

, which can be taken at various times of year.

Semi-ripe cuttings

• Take between mid-summer and autumn
• Place cuttings in a heated propagator
  

  A heated propagator is a portable heated structure with a vented lid and adjustable, constant, thermostatic temperature control. It provides a warm, humid environment to help seeds germinate and cuttings to root quickly.

  to root
• Suitable for: Viburnum tinus, V. davidii,V. rhytidophyllum, V. × burkwoodii, V. opulus

Cuttings: semi-ripe

Softwood cuttings

• Take between late spring and mid-summer. For V. × carlcephalum and V. carlesii take early in the season
• Dip cuttings in rooting compound and keep warm and humid, ideally in a heated propagator
• Suitable for deciduous
  

  Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

  viburnums: V. × bodnantense,V. × burkwoodii,V. farreri, V. ×juddii,V. opulus, V. plicatum

Cuttings: softwood

Hardwood cuttings

• Take from late autumn to winter, after the leaves have fallen
• Cutting should be 10–15cm (4–6in) long, and pencil thickness
• Suitable for deciduous viburnums: V. × bodnantense,V. farreri, V. opulus

Cuttings: hardwood

Pests and diseases

Viburnums are generally robust and vigorous shrubs, however there are a few specific pests that may attack certain species:

• Viburnum beetle – V. tinusand V. opulus
• Viburnum scale and Viburnum whitefly – V. tinus
• Viburnum aphids – V. opulus and V. carlesii

All viburnums are susceptible to honey fungus and fungal leaf spot.

Growing conditions

• Drought conditions – can cause problems in summer for many shallow-rooted viburnums, especially the summer-flowering species. Water them regularly while the ground is dry
• Prolonged winter wet and cold – V. × bodnantense flowers in winter and the delicate blooms can be damaged by adverse weather. In prolonged wet spells, flowers may turn brown and rot, and harsh frost may also turn them brown. Plants usually produce more blooms, and you can pick off affected flowers to improve the appearance if you wish

More help

If you are a member of the RHS, you can use our online Gardening Advice Service, via MyRHS, for any gardening problems and queries.