When I first started working in the nursery industry back many years ago, I always enjoyed opening the doors of big trucks full of freshly dug trees and shrubs in the spring. Opening those heavy doors of the truck was like unwrapping a present on my birthday; I could not wait to see what was inside.

 

One late April morning, as I opened the doors of a truck, I was greeted with the fragrance of a plant that I will never forget; the mayflower viburnum. I quickly climbed into the back of the truck to find where this incredible fragrance came from, and was greeted with several rows of snowball-shaped flowering plants.

 

I bent down to get a better smell of the flowers and yelled, "what is this plant?" My boss, Bob Kennedy at Kennedy's Country Gardens in Scituate, Mass., just smiled and told me, "that is Korean spice viburnum." I was hooked, and so will you be when you smell the flowers of this wonderful deciduous spring-flowering shrub.

 

I remember that we placed them near the front door of the garden center and that by the end of the weekend all the plants were gone. I was so disappointed because I never got the chance to purchase one that year, but the following year I got to choose first, for my mother on Mother's Day.

 

The fragrance of the mayflower viburnum is spicy-sweet; when planted in your yard, it will fill the yard with its fragrance. When planted near a window up against your home, be sure to open that window on nice days to let the fragrance inside for a real treat. The flowers are 2 to 3 inch diameter snowball-shaped flower clusters and the flower buds are red to pink in color. As the flower buds open, the flowers change to pure white; the flower cluster has all three colors at the same time.

 

The flowers develop on the tips of the branches. Each flower is 3/4 inches wide and trumpet-shaped. Each flower cluster can contain as many as 50 individual flowers in the cluster. When the flower buds first open, the flower is light pink color.

 

This wonderful viburnum will grow 4 to 8 feet tall and just as wide but if you prune the plant when the flowers fade you can control the size of the plant very easily without affecting the flower production for next year. Viburnums make the flower buds on the new growth made during June and July, so prune as the flowers fade to control the size of the plant. This also the best time to cut back plants that have overgrown their place in your garden.

 

When you prune your plants back, be sure to fertilize them to encourage new growth for next year's flowers. I like Plant -Tone or Start and grow plant food from Fertilome especially in the spring time. If you do not have room for this big growing plant look for the compact variety called Viburnum carlesii 'Compactum,' found at larger nurseries only and it will grow only 2.5 to 3.5 feet tall and wide.

 

The foliage is 2 to 4 inches long, oval and almost rounded on the tip of the leaf. The leaf is a dull dark green, nothing exciting, until the fall, when it will turn bright red to wine-red, almost as nice as a burning bush/euonymus. The fall red leaf is also dull red, with no shine to it.

 

During the summer the plant will grow very thick and dense, making a wonderful plant for spring birds to build a home in. The branches and stems are soft gray, and the plant can make as much as a foot of new growth each summer. The branches grow in all directions, giving the plant an interesting shape during the winter months, and those branches are stiff looking. The plant is strong and can handle some heavy snow load, but not ice, so keep it away from any roof line with no gutters.

 

All viburnum varieties love a fertile soil with lots of organic matter it. They prefer a well-drained soil with no standing water,but will do great in a sandy soil if you can water during the heat of summer. Plant in full sun to half a day of shade. The plants will also do great under tall growing trees with high-limbed branches on them.

 

When you plant, be sure to add lots of organic matter, Soil Moist if soils are on the sandy side, and mycorrhizae for fast root development and better than average growth the first spring and summer. Mulching around the base of the plant really benefits the plant during hot days of summer to help keep it cool, hold water around the roots, and keep weeds away from the newly forming roots.

 

Viburnum can be used as a single focal point plant in the back of a perennial garden for early color during the month of May; this would brighten up your perennial garden because not many perennials are showing color yet. If your windows are high off the ground, it will make a great foundation plant against your home. If your windows are less than 5 feet from the ground, you will have to prune every year to prevent the plant from covering up the bottom of your windows.

 

This is a great plant to plant along a tree line on your property or in tree clearings for early color. If you have a deck or patio that you use during May, this plant is perfect to enjoy on those warm afternoons, but it blooms too early for decks around swimming pools. You can also use several plants in a row for a privacy hedge during the summer to block off the neighbor's view into your yard, or plant and let grow without pruning to soften a large blank wall or side of a garage. I love this viburnum when you plant it near the spring flowering dogwood, especially the pink varieties

Insect and disease problems are minimal, so little to no maintenance is needed except for pruning to control the size of the plant. The plant will sometimes form small clusters of fruit during the summer that will turn from green to red then purple-black and are often eaten by the birds living in your yard. The berries are not very showy and because of the dense foliage not usually visible on the plants.

 

This mayflower viburnum plant is hardy to -20 degrees. It will flower every year if you fertilize it and water when the summers get hot and dry. Its main qualities are very fragrant flowers that last several weeks and the bright red fall color. It is easy to grow--and if your mother loves plants like lilacs, hyacinths, and roses for their fragrance, she will love this wonderful spring-flowering plant that will bloom on her special day--Mother's Day. This could be the plant that will make you her favorite and her garden extra-special. Enjoy!

 

 

 

  

Bridal Wreath - Spirea van Houttei

 

Is there a shrub that will grow anywhere? How about a sunny or shady location, along the side of the road, or where salt is in the soil because of the snowplow or how about under large trees to create a privacy hedge? There is one plant than can do all this and more: the shrub called the Bridal Wreath Spirea. This shrub is one of the most popular plants in the American garden today. Because the plant can tolerate very cold weather with temperatures to minus 30 below Zero, it is grown as far north as Canada. During the month of May, there is no plant that outshines the Bridal Wreath's show of color. Plan your wedding around the flowering time for the perfect outside garden wedding complete with white flowers for the occasion.

 

Most shrubs and trees go through periods of not flowering because of weather, soil fertility, moisture, light, care, or all of the above, but the Bridal Wreath just keeps on flowering every May like clock-work, no matter what you do to the plant. The Bridal Wreath grows like a fountain of branches filled with white flower clusters in the shape of a small flower bouquet. The foliage is about 1 inch long, looks like a small-elongated maple leaf, blue green in color. The flowers develop after the plant opens all the leaves after a long winter rest. The flowers are on short 1-inch stems above all the leaves. The flower bouquet is made up of 15 to 25 individual 4-petal white single petal flowers in the shape of a ball or a handheld bouquet. The center of the flower is yellow but not noticeable until you look at the flower closely. The flowers are very durable and will stand up to the wind in your yard, unlike most other plants. The flowers will last on the plant 3 weeks or more depending on the weather (hot weather shortens the blooming time).

 

Bridal Wreath will grow 6 to 8 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, sometimes more. If the plant is getting out of control, wait to cut it back until it has finished flowering in early June. Please do not cut it back into the shape of a ball or you will lose the beautiful shape of weeping branches. Rounded shape plants belong at Disney World, not your yard. Your yard is as real as Disney's make believe! Cut each branch back as much as 50% with hand pruners, not hedge shears to keep the plant looking natural. If pruned after flowering, the plant should make a foot or more of new growth and flowers for next year's spring flower show.

 

Bridal Wreath will grow very well in a shady location, even under trees or in the back of a tall building. When you plant, be sure to add compost or animal manure to the soil when conditioning. If the soil is dry or sandy, add a couple of tablespoons of Soil Moist to help keep the roots moist so they can develop properly and quickly. Once the plant is well established and growing on its own in the yard, it will tolerate dry soils. If planted in the sun give it extra room to grow. When using it in hedges, be sure to space the plants six feet apart and be sure to stay back from sidewalks or it will quickly block the walkway and require frequent pruning. Fertilize in the spring with Plant-Tone or Garden Trust Tree and Shrub fertilizer. Water 2 times a week for the first couple of months and then weekly until the fall season arrives.

 

If you like the Bridal Wreath Vanhouttei and want more, look for the Spirea prunifolia, as it is a double flowering white variety. It is not as large-growing, but by itself in a garden, it is striking. Also look at the Dwarf variety called 'Snow Mound,' growing only 3 to 5 feet tall and perfect for a small garden bed. Enjoy!