Leatherleaf viburnum

Leatherleaf viburnum: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Large evergreen shrub of 3–5 m with upright branches.

Leaf

Opposite, 10–20 cm, oblong, untoothed or finely toothed, leathery; upper side dark green and deeply wrinkled, underside thickly felted grey to yellowish-brown.

Twigs

Young twigs and buds yellowish-brown and felted.

Flower

Flat heads (10–20 cm) of small, creamy white flowers in May–June; the flower buds are already visible all winter.

Fruit

Berries that turn from red to glossy black; mildly poisonous.

Difference from wayfaring-tree

Wayfaring-tree is deciduous, with smaller, oval leaves.

Difference from cherry laurel

Cherry laurel has glossy, smooth leaves without wrinkles or felt.

Flowering: May–June · Pruning: June–July

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana: deciduous, with smaller, oval leaves. Difference from wayfaring-tree
• Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus: glossy, smooth leaves without wrinkles or felt. Difference from cherry laurel

Why grow it?

• Evergreen and large: a dense screen, even in shade.
• Striking, rough, wrinkled leaves that contrast with smooth, glossy greens.
• Creamy white flower heads in May–June for insects, and berries for birds.
• Tough and undemanding: grows on almost any soil and tolerates hard pruning.

Leatherleaf viburnum: where does it grow best?

• Sun, partial shade or shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Almost any well-drained soil, including chalky soil; no waterlogging.
• Ideally out of cold, drying easterly winds, which can turn the leaves brown in winter.
• Allow 3 m width: it is not a shrub for a small garden.

Light

Sun to shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Holly: Another evergreen for shade, with glossy leaves and red berries beside the wrinkled foliage.
• Hydrangea: Flowers in summer, after the viburnum, in the same partial shade.
• Japanese aralia: Large, glossy, hand-shaped leaves beside the long, wrinkled ones: an evergreen shady corner full of contrast.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerates shade and suits planting under large trees such as: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Leatherleaf viburnum: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from a pot or root-balled in autumn (October–November) or spring (March–April).
2. As a screen: one plant every 1.5–2 m.
3. Dig a generous planting hole, mix in some compost and plant at the same depth as before.
4. Water generously after planting and keep the soil moist in the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells in the first year; hardly at all after that.

Feeding

Not needed; a little compost or leaf mould in spring.

Mulch

Leave fallen leaves under the shrub: they keep the soil moist.

Gloves

Wear gloves and long sleeves for any work on the shrub: the felty hairs can irritate the skin and airways.

Tip: If you want berries, plant two different plants near each other (not cuttings from the same shrub): they pollinate each other and you get far more red and black berries.

Leatherleaf viburnum: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–July.

When: After flowering (June–July).

How:

• Little needed: cut overlong or awkward branches back to a side branch.
• It does tolerate hard pruning and sprouts well from old wood: an oversized shrub can be cut back hard over two or three years.
• Wear gloves.

Caution: Wear gloves, long sleeves and, for a big pruning job, a dust mask: the felty hairs irritate the skin and airways. June–July falls in the nesting season: check for nesting birds first.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In summer, take 10–15 cm semi-ripe cuttings and root them under glass or plastic.

Layering

Bend a low branch to the ground and cover it with soil; after a year it will have roots.

Leatherleaf viburnum: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy. In hard frost the leaves roll up and hang limply: this is normal, and they lift again when it thaws.
• In cold, drying easterly winds the leaves can turn brown; in a sheltered spot they stay nicer.
• The felted flower buds wait all winter for flowering in May.

Diseases and pests

• Brown leaves: After a severe, windy winter some of the leaves may turn brown. Wait until spring; the shrub will grow away again.
• Vine weevil: Half-moon notches eaten from the leaf edges. Control the larvae with nematodes in spring or late summer.
• Few berries: A single shrub sets few berries. With two different plants nearby you get more.
• Too large: It keeps growing strongly. Cut it back step by step after flowering; it sprouts readily from old wood.

Through the year

• January: In frost the leaves hang limply: this is normal.
• March: Plant.
• May: Flowering: creamy white heads full of insects.
• June: Prune after flowering; check for nests first.
• July: Last pruning month; the berries turn red.
• August: The berries turn from red to black.
• October: Plant.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Evergreen screening or specimen shrub for shade and large gardens.

For wildlife

Flowers for insects, berries for birds; with two different plants nearby you get more berries.

Caution: The felty hairs on the leaves and twigs can irritate the skin and airways; the berries are mildly poisonous.

Did you know?

• In hard frost the leaves roll up and hang limply; this way they lose less water.
• Rhytidophyllum means ‘wrinkled leaf’, after the deeply impressed veins.
• Like wayfaring-tree, it has ‘naked’ buds without bud scales: only a thick layer of felt protects them in winter.