Shrub Indiana Native Viburnum dentatum [Arrowwood Viburnum] Can look ragged in dry soil. Flowers malodorous to some. Attractive to birds. Name derived from Native American use of strong sucker shoots for arrow shafts. The most durable of viburnums. Serves as a nice neutral background shrub.
Shrub Viburnum dentatum 'Christom' [sold as Blue Muffin™] [Blue Muffin Arrowwood Viburnum] 'Christom', often sold under the name Blue Muffin, is a compact variant known for its strongly blue fruits. Flowers malodorous to some. Attractive to birds. Name derived from Native American use of strong sucker shoots for arrow shafts. The most durable of viburnums. Serves as a nice neutral background shrub.
Shrub Viburnum dilatatum [Linden Viburnum] One of the best viburnums for showy fruits. A different clone as a pollinator helps produce a more abundant fruit set. Borers can sometimes be a problem. Relatively trouble-free.
Shrub Viburnum farreri [Fragrant Viburnum] Some winter protection promotes best growth. Early flowering in spring is sometimes followed by a later frost/freeze that kills back the flowers and inhibits leaf growth.
Shrub Viburnum opulus [European Cranberrybush Viburnum] Widely tolerant of soils and microclimates, although found in more wet sites in wild stands. May be troubled by aphids. The snowball variety, V. opulus 'Roseum', is badly troubled by aphids. Prune on a 3-year cycle to maintain best form and fruiting. Flower cymes have an outer showy and sterile ring and an inner inconspicuous and fertile cluster which produces the berries.
Shrub Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum [Doublefile Viburnum] The Doublefire Viburnum is fertile and more commonly used in the landscape than the sterile Japanese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum). The white flowers are reminiscent of a lace doily with sterile showy flowers at edge surrounding the non-showy fertile flowers. Flower clusters accentuate the horizontal branching. Fruits are red that change to black if not eaten by birds, beginning in late summer.
Shrub Viburnum × 'Pragense' [Prague Viburnum] More drought tolerant than most Viburnums. Topping may be needed initially to encourage branching. This hybrid arose in Prague, Czechoslovakia in the 1950s.
Shrub/Tree Indiana Native Viburnum prunifolium [Blackhaw Viburnum] Widely tolerant of different soils and exposures. Transplants well. Relatively trouble-free. Can be pruned to form a nice hedge. Scale and borers are occasional problems. The edible fruits are sweet and can be eaten fresh, or used in jams and preserves.
Shrub Viburnum × rhytidophylloides 'Willowwood' [Willowwood Lantanaphyllum Viburnum] Poor tolerance to heavy wind environments. Great plant in the Midwest, flowering in the spring and even sporadically into the fall. Foliage sometimes lasting well into the winter. Prune right after flowering, because new buds for the following year form in the summer.
