Guelder rose

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering, fruiting and autumn colour are usually best with good light.

Water

Moderate to high; keep the root zone moist, especially during establishment and dry summers.

Soil

Moist, fertile soil, including clay; tolerates acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions and occasional seasonal waterlogging. Avoid very dry, shallow soil.

Height

10-15 ft (3-4.5 m)

Spread

8-12 ft (2.4-3.7 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; flat clusters of small creamy-white fertile flowers surrounded by larger white sterile flowers.

Foliage

Opposite, maple-like leaves with three to five lobes; green in summer, often turning red or purple in autumn.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons; established plants also need water during prolonged drought.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) layer of organic mulch in spring, keeping it away from the stems.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; use fertiliser only if growth is weak or soil is poor.
• Leave enough space for its broad, arching framework rather than keeping it tightly clipped.
• Remove unwanted suckers and seedlings, particularly where the species escapes cultivation.

Pruning. Prune just after flowering, removing dead or crossing branches and, when needed, a few of the oldest stems at ground level. Avoid routine shearing, which removes fruiting growth and spoils the natural shape.

Late winter

Inspect young twigs for viburnum leaf beetle egg pits; prune out affected tips before eggs hatch.

Early spring

Plant while conditions are cool and moist, then water thoroughly and mulch.

Spring

Check emerging leaves for beetle larvae and aphids; remove small infestations promptly.

Early summer

After flowering, thin crowded growth only if needed; leave flower clusters that will develop berries.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry weather and take softwood cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Check for unwanted seedlings and suckers; leave berries for birds where local invasive guidance permits.

• Use in an informal mixed hedge with hawthorn and hazel for flowers, autumn colour and wildlife shelter.
• Plant at a woodland edge with ferns and shade-tolerant perennials, allowing room for arching branches.
• Use beside a pond or in a moist border, above the permanently submerged margin.
• Set behind lower flowering perennials so its white flowers, berries and autumn leaves provide successive seasonal interest.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Cottage garden, Woodland, Wildlife garden, Native hedgerow and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Red-twig dogwood, Hazel, Hawthorn, Male fern, Astilbe and Siberian iris.

Wildlife: The small fertile flowers attract visiting insects; the large outer flowers are mainly for display. Berries provide food for birds, often later in the season, and dense branches offer shelter. In North America, choose locally native alternatives where this species is invasive.

• Viburnum leaf beetle can skeletonise leaves and weaken plants through repeated defoliation. Remove egg-bearing twigs in winter and hand-pick young larvae in spring; use locally approved controls if damage is severe.
• Black aphids can curl young leaves. Rub off small colonies or dislodge them with water, and avoid excessive nitrogen feeding.
• Powdery mildew may develop in crowded or stressed plants. Improve airflow, water the root zone during drought and avoid wetting foliage unnecessarily.
• Poor berry production can result from shade, pruning or lack of compatible pollen. Grow in better light, avoid cutting off flower clusters and plant a genetically different fertile Guelder rose nearby; 'Roseum' has sterile flowers and does not fruit.

Raw berries can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea in people, especially if eaten in quantity; do not treat them as edible cranberries. Guelder rose is not generally listed as toxic to cats, dogs or horses, but eating substantial amounts of berries or other plant material may still cause digestive upset.

Where it spreads. The European form, Viburnum opulus var. opulus, escapes cultivation and is considered invasive in parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States, including New York and Wisconsin, and parts of southern Canada, including Ontario. Birds spread its seeds into woodland and wetland habitats. Check local restrictions before planting; do not confuse it with native American cranberrybush.

• American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum)

  Very similar, but the small glands near the top of the leaf stalk are generally raised and convex or club-shaped; those of European Guelder rose are usually flatter or hollowed.

• Snowball bush (Viburnum opulus 'Roseum')

  This cultivar has rounded balls of sterile flowers rather than flat flower clusters and does not produce berries.

• Wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana)

  Has unlobed, oval leaves with felted undersides, rather than maple-like lobed leaves; its fruits change from red to black when ripe.

The name Guelder rose refers to Guelders, a historical region in the Netherlands associated with the cultivated snowball form, although the plant is not a rose.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe cuttings later in summer; layering low branches is also effective. Seed germination is slow and usually requires successive warm and cold periods.

Accepted botanical name

Viburnum opulus

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada, the lower 48 states and St. Pierre and Miquelon. Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and East European Russia.

Measured

Soil pH 5.2 to 7. Average height 240 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.