Viburnum plicatum / Doublefile Viburnum

In spring when my part of the world is in full Azaleamania mode, I gaze instead on what for me is the true Queen of Shrubs — the doublefile viburnum. I was practically forced to buy some back in ’86 when I used the free services of a nursery’s landscape department to create a border between the lawn and the woods; it was February and they looked totally unpromising. But the designer swore by them and I took the leap into unknown plant territory, along with several more of my now-favorites. I grow the variety ‘Shasta’.

Native to China and Japan.

Details

Thrives (and flowers) in shade or sun.
To 8-10′ by 9-12′.
Zones 5-8.
Blooms in May.

Care

Viburnums wilt in midday summer heat but if they perk back up by morning, they don’t need watering. Professional gardeners tell me they tolerate long droughts but I’m too nervous to test that theory; I water in moderately long droughts.
After the blooms fade is the perfect time to remove any stems that cross and crowd others, and most importantly, remove to the ground one to three of the oldest stems. As counter-intuitive as this may seem, it’s the only way to keep the whole plant from becoming top-heavy and increasingly less lovely.

More Shrub Info in Print

Michael Dirr on Viburnums is the definitive book on this shrub.
Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs by the best-known authority on the subject.
Taylor’s Guide to Shrubs is another good one.