Burkwood viburnum

Burkwood viburnum: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Rounded, somewhat open shrub about 2 m tall and as wide.

Leaves

Oval, 4–10 cm long, dark green and slightly glossy, grey and felted underneath. Some drop in hard winters.

Flower

Rounded clusters 6–9 cm across, packed with small tubular flowers, in April–May.

Colour

Pink in bud, pure white when open.

Scent

Strong, sweet and slightly spicy, best noticed on a mild, sunny day.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: April–May and September–October · Pruning: May–June

Why grow it?

• One of the most fragrant spring shrubs: a few flower clusters fill the garden with a sweet scent.
• Semi-evergreen: in a mild winter it keeps much of its foliage.
• Bees and other early insects find nectar in April–May.
• Little work: it hardly needs pruning and grows in any good garden soil.
• Lovely beside the patio, front door or a path, where you can best enjoy the scent.

Burkwood viburnum: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Any good, humus-rich garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Moderately moist; do not let the soil dry out completely in summer.
• Somewhat sheltered from cold east winds, which can damage the leaves in winter.
• Allow 2 m of space and plant it close to a path or patio to enjoy the scent.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

2 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Tulip: Colourful flowers beneath the white clusters, in April.
• Forget-me-not: A soft blue sea at the base, in flower at the same time.
• Lungwort: Spotted leaves and blue to pink flowers in partial shade.
• Barrenwort: Ground cover for the base that also flowers in spring.
• Hellebore: Flowers from late winter and keeps the base green all year.

Burkwood viburnum: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September–October.

1. Plant in April–May or September–October.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in a few spadefuls of compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave about 2 m between plants or to other shrubs.
5. Water thoroughly straight away and regularly in dry weather during the first year.
6. Spread a mulch of leaf mould or wood chips around the base.

Care

Water

Every week in dry weather in the first year. After that only in long dry spells.

Feeding

In March–April, a spadeful of compost or some organic fertiliser for flowering shrubs.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the soil moist and rich in humus.

Rootstock shoots

If your plant is grafted, shoots from the rootstock with different leaves may appear. Cut them off as low as possible.

Spent flowers

No need to remove them: they drop by themselves.

Tip: Plant it by the front door, the patio or under a window: that is where you will best enjoy its scent in April.

Burkwood viburnum: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June.

When: Straight after flowering, from late May into June, and only when needed. It flowers on last year’s shoots.

How:

• Cut overlong or straggly shoots back to just above a side branch.
• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
• Every few years, removing one or two of the oldest stems at the base keeps the shrub young.

Caution: Do not prune in autumn or winter: you would lose the flower buds for the following spring.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July take 10 cm cuttings from young, non-flowering shoots. Remove the lower leaves and insert them in moist cutting compost under plastic. They root in 6–8 weeks.

Layering

In spring or summer, peg a low branch down into the soil. Sever and replant it after a year.

Burkwood viburnum: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: in Belgium it needs no protection.
• In a hard winter it drops some of its leaves; in spring it simply grows again.
• Late night frost can damage the flower buds: a sheltered spot helps.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall and wrap the pot in hessian in severe frost.

Diseases and pests

• Aphids: Curled, thickened leaves at the shoot tips in spring. Ladybirds usually deal with them; otherwise hose them off or snip off the tips.
• Viburnum beetle: Holes in the leaves in May–June, caused by yellow larvae and later small brown beetles. Less common than on guelder rose. Shake off the larvae and cut off twig tips with rows of egg sites.
• Leaf spot: Brown spots on the leaves in wet weather. Remove affected leaves and choose an airy spot.
• Poor flowering: Usually pruned at the wrong time or too much shade. Prune only straight after flowering.

Through the year

• March: Give compost or fertiliser.
• April: Fragrant flowering. Plant.
• May: End of flowering. Plant. Prune after flowering if needed.
• June: Finish pruning. Take softwood cuttings. Watch for aphids and viburnum beetle.
• July: Water in dry weather.
• September: Plant.
• October: Plant. Apply mulch.
• December: Rest. In a mild winter much of the foliage stays on.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• It is named after Burkwood, of the English nursery Burkwood & Skipwith, where it was raised in the 1920s.
• One of its parents, the Korean spice viburnum, is famous for its strongly scented flowers: it has inherited that fragrance.
• The genus Viburnum includes deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen species, from the native guelder rose to the evergreen laurustinus.