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Deciduous Flowering Shrubs - Part 7 - Viburnum - Page 4

© Marge Talt

V. plicatum forma tomentosum 'Mariesii' is what I thought I had - you can see that the leaves are similar, but the flowers are definitely not the same as my shrub.

The form is typical of this species; mounded and layered, however the lacecap type flowers are raised on a peduncle (stalk) that brings them smartly to attention above the foliage.

This species is commonly called the doublefile viburnum. Except for dwarf forms, they will all become about eight or nine feet (2.4 - 2.7 m) tall and at least as wide, possibly wider - so you need to allow sufficient room for them. These are not shrubs to cram into a shrub border - they need some space around them to show off their form.

This form was introduced in the 1870's and is widely available in commerce. It produces red fruit on red stalks, also held above the foliage and eventually turning black. I'd still like to have this one!

V. dilatatum 'Erie' , a selection of the linden viburnum, lives next to - and too close to - V. plicatum 'Sterile'. It was selected by Dr. Donald Egolf from seed collected in Japan; propagated particularly for the profusion, persistence and color of the fruit; named, registered and released in 1971 by the U.S. National Arboretum.

In 1993, it won The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal Plant Award. It's pest and disease resistant, and rated hardy from USDA 5b to 8.

References give the height as six and a half feet by eleven feet wide (1.9 x 3.3 m) in fourteen years. Well, mine is just the reverse in that amount of time. It's multi-trunked, but more upright and controlled in habit than V. plicatum 'Sterile' - it's almost like it wants to be a tree. It is supposed to color yellow, orange and red in fall, but mine really doesn't. References say that it flowers and fruits better in more northern areas and should be grown in part shade in the south. It prefers heavy loam with a pH of 6.0-6.5, but will adapt to many soil conditions.

The flowers (apologies for this fuzzy close-up) are in flat-headed cymes of creamy white in mid May.

This is actually the first year I've really noticed the fruit.

It's also the coolest summer we've had in my memory, so, considering that it's supposed to flower and fruit better in cooler climates, this may be account for it.

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