Possumhaw viburnum

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering, fruiting and autumn colour are generally best with several hours of direct sun.

Water

Keep the soil consistently moist, especially while establishing. Established plants tolerate wet ground and occasional flooding, but prolonged drought can cause leaf scorch and poor fruiting.

Soil

Moist, acidic soil rich in organic matter; tolerates clay and periodically waterlogged ground. Avoid very dry or strongly alkaline sites.

Height

6-12 ft (1.8-3.7 m), occasionally taller in favourable conditions

Spread

6-12 ft (1.8-3.7 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; small creamy-white flowers in flat-topped clusters.

Foliage

Opposite, oval to elongated leaves with glossy dark-green upper surfaces; usually burgundy, red or purple in autumn.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (0.95 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

5. After 5 years

   9 ft (2.8 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons; do not let the root ball dry out.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• For dependable fruiting, plant a genetically different Viburnum nudum nearby that flowers at the same time; two plants of the same cultivar are not sufficient.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; use fertiliser only if growth or a soil test indicates a need.
• Leave room for its natural width rather than maintaining it as a tightly clipped hedge.

Pruning. Prune just after flowering, removing dead or crossing branches and, if needed, a few of the oldest stems at ground level. Keep pruning light because cutting off flower clusters also removes that season's developing fruit.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable and moist; in very cold regions, wait until spring.

Late winter

Check for dead or damaged wood and remove it; avoid routine shortening of healthy branches carrying flower buds.

Spring

Refresh the mulch and top-dress with compost if the soil is poor.

Late spring

Check that a genetically different pollination partner flowers at the same time.

Early summer

After flowering, thin crowded stems only if necessary, retaining most flower clusters for fruit.

Summer

Water during extended dry weather, especially around newly planted shrubs.

Autumn

Leave the ripening fruit for birds and retain fallen leaves beneath the shrub where practical.

• Plant in an informal mixed hedge with other moisture-loving shrubs for screening, flowers and bird food.
• Use at a sunny woodland edge with ferns and shade-tolerant perennials beneath its outer branches.
• Place in a rain garden where soil stays moist between storms and occasional flooding occurs.
• Group genetically different plants in a broad shrub border to improve fruit set and show the mixed pink and blue-black berries.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Native hedgerow, Autumn colour, Low-maintenance and Bog garden.

Plant it with: Winterberry holly, Virginia sweetspire, Summersweet, Red chokeberry, Cinnamon fern and Tussock sedge.

Wildlife: Flowers support bees and other visiting insects. Birds eat the ripe fruit, and the branching growth provides shelter and nesting cover.

• Few or no berries: provide a genetically different Viburnum nudum with overlapping flowering, allow more sunlight and avoid pruning away flower clusters.
• Yellow leaves with green veins: alkaline soil can restrict iron uptake; test the soil and, where alkalinity is persistent, move the shrub to a more suitable site.
• Leaf scorch or premature leaf drop: check soil moisture and water deeply during drought; mulch to reduce drying.
• Viburnum leaf beetle, where established in North America and Europe: inspect for larvae and skeletonised leaves in spring; remove infested shoots bearing egg pits during dormancy and use a locally approved treatment if damage is severe.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. The fruit is not generally grown for human consumption; eating large amounts of berries or other plant material may cause stomach upset.

• Possumhaw holly (Ilex decidua)

  This unrelated shrub has alternate leaves and usually red or orange fruit; possumhaw viburnum has opposite leaves and fruit that ripens through pink to blue-black.

• Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

  Arrowwood usually has broader leaves with conspicuous, coarse teeth; possumhaw viburnum has more elongated, glossy leaves with entire or finely toothed margins.

The species name nudum means 'naked' or 'bare', referring to the plant's relatively hairless growth.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, or layer a low branch. Seed germination is slow and irregular and may require successive warm and cold periods, often taking two years; seedlings vary, while cuttings retain the parent plant's characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Viburnum nudum

In the US and Canada

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

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and New Jersey.

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