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The Viburnum Blackhaw
By B Hirst, Tue Jan 10th
Blackhaw Viburnum (V. prunifolium) The rounded, stiffly branchedhabit of Blackhaw viburnum reminds you of a Hawthorn. Othercommon names are Sloe, sloe-leaved viburnum, stagbush, shonny.It can be grown as a small tree because plants attain a heightof 12 to 14 feet. The dark green, glossy, leathery leaves turn adark reddish to purple in the fall. Creamy white flowers areborne in flat-topped flower clusters during May. The fruit turnsblue-black at maturity. The fruit, which is sweet and edible, isnearly half an inch long, bluish black, covered with a bloom,and ripens in early autumn. It contains a small and somewhatflattened stone. The mature fruit make good preserves. Theleaves are small enough that they don't pose a raking andcleaning problem. Birds frequent this shrub for feed andshelter. Plants are native and tolerate shade but flower andfruit best in full sun.Habitat and range.The blackhaw occurs indry woods and thickets and on rocky hillsides from Connecticutto Florida and west to Michigan and Texas, but is mostly foundin the South. On our plant durability list, we rate this a 9 forease of transplanting and site adaptability. There are also fewserious pests that homeowners need to concern themselves with.We have seedling, transplants, and B&B plant to 4'. Blackhaw viburnum grows in woods and thickets in moist or drysoil. Blackhaw viburnum can be a round-headed tree ormulti-stemmed shrub. This plant is described as having ahandsomely coarse aspect in winter. The late fall color isvariable from plant to plant, from purplish, reddish purple,bronze, dull deep red to shining red. The flowers can have somany yellow stamens that they appear creamy rather than white.Although it will tolerate some sun, blackhaw viburnum is bestused as a medium understory or edge-of-the-woods shrub. In thelandscape this plant can adapt well to locations that don't getfull sun such as a shaded side yard that needs a border orscreen. Clay soils that are moist can be planted with thisplant. This plant is hardy to zone three. Viburnums are the mostattractive, versatile, adaptable shrubs for any landscape. Theycan be used as hedges or screens and in mixed perennial andshrub borders. They can also stand as specimen plants. Theyusually in the form of shrubs, but can become small ornamentaltrees.(sieboldi) They range in size from the small DwarfAmerican Cranberry at 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide, to the Sieboldat over 15 feet tall.
Viburnums are plants with year round interest. Viburnums havewhite to pink flowers in the spring. Some are fragrant. Theyhave large, attractive and often textured leaves. Some viburnumshave wonderfully fragrant flowers that are produced in snowballlike clusters in the spring. The flower clusters can be of pinkbuds, which develop into white flowers. Some fruits are red andturn black with age. Leaves are glossy, dark green and turn aburgundy color in the fall. Midsummer berries are an importantfood source for birds. Viburnums are a must for the avid birder.Viburnums can have colorful red to purple leaves. Some viburnumscan become medium-size trees, especially if they are pruned.Viburnums are specimen plants or as anchors in mixed borders andhedges. You won't find a more versatile group of shrubs forhedges or for massing in groups, since viburnums hold their ownin every season and landscape. Some viburnums, such as Pragueviburnum, are evergreen
and have fragrant flowers. Others, suchas leatherleaf viburnum, are semi-evergreen in colder climates,losing their leaves when temperatures dip below 10 degrees. We like Viburnums because of their adaptability and durability.While they would prefer full sun and moderately watered,well-drained rich soils, they grow very well in part shade inalkaline, clay soils. Diseases and pests are not common forviburnums. We have more trouble from my kids running over themwith brush hogs. They claim they were testing their durability.Yet all the viburnums they chopped to the ground survived. Infact, we sold these plants for a premium as they produced betternumbers of desireable stems. Their fibrous root system makesthem transplant and propagate easily. (We do have moredifficulty with the Korean Spice rooted cuttings.) If you are shopping for a sharp hardy shrub consider one of themany cultivars of the Viburnum family. In fact select a coupleof them. You will be rewarded with shrubs with all seasoninterest. Viburnums have long been popular garden plants, celebrated fortheir white, often fragrant spring flowers and their fall color.But it's the Asian viburnums that are prized. Perhaps the mostwidely known viburnums are the Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum xburkwoodii), and the Korean spice viburnum (V. carlesii), bothof which fill the air with an enchanting clovelike aroma inmid-spring. (The Mohican is a cross of the two.) Also popular isthe doublefile viburnum (V. plicatum f. tomentosum), valued forits layered habit, fall foliage, and clusters of red fruits, andits close relative the Shasta, a gold medal winner. Viburnumacerifolium (Maple-leafed viburnum) Although I wouldn't gardenwithout any of these, I have a special fondness for nativeviburnums. They may not provide the flower fragrance of theirAsian counterparts, but I love them for their fall foliage colorand for their fruit displays, which attract birds to my gardenin the fall and winter months. In addition, several are usefulto waterwise gardeners or in urban conditions. They require onlycorrective pruning, and none commonly suffer from pests ordiseases. Viburnums are considered moist woodland plants. In nature theyare found along steam banks from Long Island to Florida. Whenyou come to our 5275 West Swamp Rd. location ask us to show somein their native habitat that we found along our stream bank.These plants perform well under normal landscape conditions. Iespecially like the floral display in the spring and theseviburnums that bear fruit in the fall. Winterthur has great redleaves and abundant fruit in the fall. This cultivar needs across pollinator such as viburnum nudum. Native Americans used Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum) forarrow shafts. There stems are long and strait. This plant willgrow in places many plants struggle. So if you have had troublewith plants in a harsh location try this cultivar. Viburnums Weraise over 10 types of Viburnums on our farms from seedlings to5' shrubs. If you have poor soils due to compacting fromconstruction, try viburnums. Being rugged and hardy, theyperform where other plants fail. American Cranberry BushKoreanSpice Blackhaw ArrowwoodViburnum Chicago Luster (we have500 3-6' that must be sold by Sept 28 2005) Dawn SummerSnowflake Shasta Winterthur Blue Muffin Burkwood Erie Tea JuddKorean Spice Praque Siebold
About the author:Bill raises viburnums on his in Doylestown Pa. His web sitedetails many of the plants that he raises.http://www.seedlingsrus.com
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