Everyone Loves Viburnums

People looking for shrubs may not be sure what plants they'll need and may not be sure what plants are native. I've been particularly impressed by the genus viburnum. The Upper Midwest is home to Highbush Cranberry, Nannyberry, Maple Leaf Viburnum, and Arrowwood Viburnum. The viburnum genus can be found throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and these deciduous shrubs fruit with small berries. I've added some pictures of the Highbush Cranberries we planted last year.

Highbush Cranberry(viburnum trilobum) is probably the best known of the viburnums. It can be easily confused with its European cousin and is generally available at many nurseries. You can likely find it in its typical/natural form but also comes in a compact form. It blooms with small white flowers, and in the fall, the leaves turn crimson. The shrubs berry red, if they berry at all. The plants are gendered and in order to get berries, you'll need both male and female plants.

Nannyberry(viburnum lentago) will also flower with white blooms like the Highbush Cranberry. Nannyberry is shade tolerant, and we plan to plant it in our shady corner near our Pagoda Dogwood. The fruit start light green and become blue-ish later in the year. These berries will persist through the winter and should attract birds.

Maple Leaf Viburnum(viburnum acerifolium) is another option you may want to consider. The leaves of this shrub may be broader than the previous two viburnums discussed. White flowers on this shrub give way to red berries which become blue. The green foliage turns purple in the fall. This viburnum is less shade tolerant than the Nannyberry but does require some shade to grow well. This viburnum seems to be more difficult to find commercially when compared with the Nannyberry or the Highbush Cranberry.

Arrowwood Viburnum(viburnum dentatum) has a number of available cultivars including: Blue Muffin and Autumn Jazz. This viburnum will do well in partial shade and produce blue fruit in late summer. The flowers are white like the other viburnums, and this plant is tolerant of Black Walnuts and clay soils.

Generally speaking the viburnums are pretty hardy and low maintenance. Because of their flowers and fruit, butterflies and birds may be attracted to them as well. If you don't already have some, I'd recommend planting viburnums. They are pretty great, and I'm sure you'll see why everyone loves viburnums.