VIBURNUM. The Americas, Europe and Asia. A large group of shrubs and small trees, both evergreen and deciduous, with many ornamental features. Some are structurally beautiful. Most have interesting foliage. The leaves can be entire or lobed, sometimes deeply veined, and lustrous to densely felted in surface. Most are winter-deciduous. The flowers are usually small but borne in showy, flat to ball shaped clusters and followed by decorative berries. Sun or shade, fertile soils, moderate watering. Hardiness varies.

‘Anne Russell’. V. burkwoodii x V. carlesii. An outstanding hybrid. It grows slowly to around 5', the stems short and freely branched. The leaves are 2-3" long, broadly oval in outline, shiny and deep green above and pale beneath. Clusters of pink flower buds develop during the winter, opening in early spring into wonderfully fragrant, waxy white flowers. Below 0^oF.

davidii. A compact, slowly growing, evergreen shrub, usually under 5' in height and broader than tall. It has broadly oval, deeply veined, shiny leaves, colored very dark green on their upper surface. Flattish clusters of white flowers make their appearance in summer. These develop by fall into beautiful blue berries. 10^oF or less.

opulus. Cranberry bush. This species was once as common a part of the California garden as Gold Coast junipers in the '60s and penstemons today. These are deciduous grey-barked shrubs, growing as much as 12' tall, with broad, lobed, bright green leaves up to 3" long. They flower in late spring and early summer, carrying hydrangea-like white flower clusters at the shoot tips. In each, a broad center of smaller fertile flowers is surrounded by a ring of larger sterile flowers. From the fertile flowers showy bright red berries develop. The leaves take on bright yellow and sometimes orange to red shades in the fall. ‘Notcutt’s Variety’ (‘Notcutt’) is distinguished by larger berries and brilliant orange and red fall color. ‘Sterile’ is the old-fashioned snowball, with heads up to 3" broad, composed entirely of sterile flowers. ‘Aureum’ is a smaller, weaker-growing cultivar with leaves which are bronze-tinged as they appear, bright yellow when expanded, later becoming light green. It is burned by exposure in hot, dry weather and should be given a protected spot in the garden.

plicatum var. tomentosum. Doublefile viburnum. This includes some of the most elegant of the viburnums in form and some of the prettiest in flower. The plants may grow 8’ tall or more, are roundish to erect-oval in outline and have conspicuously tiered horizontal branches. The 2-4" leaves are pointed-oval and deeply veined. Rows of “lace cap” flower clusters, each with an outer ring of larger, sterile flowers, decorate the plants in late spring and summer. ‘Fujiensis’ is a slow-growing selection with particularly attractive tiers of branches, smallish leaves, and clusters a little over 2" broad. ‘Mariesii’ has a more spreading habit, bright yellow-green leaves and 3-4" clusters of cream white flowers. Those of ‘Pink Beauty’ are white changing to pale pink (the plant should be lightly shaded for best flower color). ‘Shasta’ is an exceptionally robust selection with large white blossoms. ‘Newport’ is a recent introduction distinguished by compact growth to about 4’, and by three-inch “snowball” clusters of sterile flowers. Hardy to below 0^oF.

rhytidophyllum. An evergreen shrub, potentially 12’ high though usually less. It has stout, straight stems covered with pale tan hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped, up to 10" long and leathery. They are deep green and deeply textured on their upper surface, furry and greyish beneath. Small cream-white flowers are carried in rather open clusters, late spring and summer. About 0^oF.

sargentii  ‘Onondaga’. A recent arrival on this coast, ‘Onondaga’ is a robust shrub, growing nearly erect to perhaps 8' or more. It has large 3-lobed leaves, strongly tinged most of the season with purple. Flower clusters follow the pattern described above for V. plicatum var. tomentosum. The flowers are reddish in bud, and white when fully opened. 0^oF or below.