Wayfaring-tree

Wayfaring-tree: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad, dense shrub of 2–4 m with upright branches.

Leaf

Opposite, 5–10 cm, oval, finely toothed, thick and wrinkled; underside grey-felted with star-shaped hairs.

Twigs

Young twigs and buds grey-felted; older branches greyish-brown.

Flower

Flat heads (6–10 cm) of small, creamy white flowers, without large outer florets, in May–June.

Fruit

Flattened, oval berries that turn from green through red to glossy black, often all colours at once in a single head (August–September); mildly poisonous.

Difference from guelder rose

Guelder rose has lobed leaves, large white outer florets and translucent red berries.

Difference from leatherleaf viburnum

That one is evergreen, with much longer, narrow and deeply wrinkled leaves.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: June–July

Identify by feature: White or silver underside · Red berries · Black berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Guelder rose Viburnum opulus: lobed leaves, large white outer florets and translucent red berries. Difference from guelder rose
• Leatherleaf viburnum Viburnum rhytidophyllum: evergreen, with much longer, narrow and deeply wrinkled leaves. Difference from leatherleaf viburnum

Why grow it?

• One of the few native shrubs for dry, chalky soil.
• White flower heads in May–June and berries in three colours at once in late summer.
• Native: flowers for insects, berries for birds in late summer.
• Once established, it copes well with drought and wind.

Wayfaring-tree: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in sun it flowers best and bears the most berries.
• Preferably dry, chalky, free-draining soil; ordinary garden soil will do, but not wet feet.
• On a sunny bank or a dry border, where other shrubs struggle.
• Allow 3 m width.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry

Size

4 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Field maple: A small native tree for the same dry, chalky hedge.
• Wild privet: Black berries and scented flowers, on the same chalky soil.
• Spindle: Pink fruits and red autumn colour next to the red and black berries.
• Hawthorn: White blossom in May and red berries: together a dense, bird-rich hedge.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Wayfaring-tree: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. In a mixed hedge: one plant every 1–1.5 m, together with other native shrubs.
3. Plant at the same depth as before, firm the soil and water generously.
4. Mulch with leaves or wood chips and water in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

Only in dry spells during the first year; after that it copes well with dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed; it grows and flowers well even on poor soil.

Checks

In April–May, look out for viburnum beetle larvae (see problems).

Berries

Leave them for the birds; they don’t all ripen at once, so there is food for weeks.

Tip: Is your soil too dry and chalky for guelder rose? Choose the wayfaring-tree instead: it too has white flower heads and berries for the birds, but it likes dry feet.

Wayfaring-tree: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–July.

When: After flowering (June–July).

How:

• Needs little pruning: thin out old branches at the base.
• Every few years, remove one or two of the oldest branches so that young shoots can come through.
• Don’t cut everything back: whatever you remove after flowering will bear no berries.

Caution: June–July falls in the nesting season: check for nesting birds in the shrub before you prune.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June, take 10–15 cm cuttings of young, still soft shoots 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.

Sowing

Sow the seeds from ripe, black berries outdoors in autumn; they often take a year and a half to germinate.

Wayfaring-tree: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• In winter you can recognise it by its grey, felted twigs and buds.

Diseases and pests

• Viburnum beetle: In April–May, small yellow larvae eat the leaves down to lace; later in summer the adult beetles do the same. In winter, cut off the shoot tips with eggs and put them in the general waste.
• Aphids: Aphids on the young shoot tips in spring. Ladybirds and tits usually clear them up; otherwise hose them off with water.
• Wet soil: On heavy, wet soil it grows poorly and branches die back. Plant it in a dry, free-draining spot.

Through the year

• January: Cut off shoot tips with viburnum beetle eggs.
• March: Last month to plant bare-root shrubs.
• April: Watch for viburnum beetle larvae and aphids.
• 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: Red and black berries in one head: food for birds.
• November: Plant bare-root shrubs.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Native shrub for dry, chalky soil; attractive in a mixed hedge or woodland edge.

For wildlife

Flowers for insects, berries for birds in late summer.

Caution: The berries are mildly poisonous.

Did you know?

• In winter its buds are ‘naked’, without bud scales: only a thick layer of felt protects them from the cold.
• The name wayfaring-tree refers to the shrub growing along the old tracks over the chalk hills of southern England.