Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'
Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' · Viburnaceae
Tight clusters of rose-pink, powerfully scented flowers open on the bare, upright branches from November to March, whenever the weather is mild.
- Size
- 10 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early November to late December
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'
The planner designed this bed around bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' × 1, pink
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 3, tan
- 3 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 16, red
- 4 Indian grass 'Sioux Blue' × 3, tan
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 6 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 7 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 8 Lady's mantle × 5, green
- 9 Golden Alexanders × 5, yellow
- 10 Carpathian bellflower × 16, blue
- 11 Stemless gentian × 35, blue
- 12 Easter lily × 6, white
- 13 Darwin hybrid tulip × 15, orange
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are spires, airy sprays, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 10 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From early November to late December.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 18 of the 21 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Among the neighbours here are five pairs of recognised partners, such as Carpathian bellflower and lady's mantle. There is more stemless gentian than anything else, 35 plants in all.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' goes in a border
At 10 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Scent in midwinter. Raised at Bodnant in Wales in 1935. It is stiff and plain in summer, so place it at the back, but within reach of a path used in winter.
- Winter flowers and scent
- The back of a border near a path
- Cut branches
What to plant with bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Snowdrop: flowers first, early March to late March, so the spot is never empty; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Winter aconite: flowers first, late February to mid March, so the spot is never empty; low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Bergenia: flowers first, mid April to early May, so the spot is never empty; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'
Does bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' need sun or shade?
Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 7. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early November to late December. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 5 | Early November to late December |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early November to late December |
| Zone 7 | Early November to late December |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'?
Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Elderberry 'Black Beauty': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in shorter, flowers early June to late June.
- Large fothergilla: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter, flowers late April to mid May.
- Korean rhododendron 'Cornell Pink': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 3½ ft shorter, 20 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat bodnant viburnum 'Dawn'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' look like in winter?
Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter flowers and scent. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' good for bees and butterflies?
Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' is visited by butterflies and songbirds.
More Viburnum
- American cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum
- Arrowwood viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum dentatum 'Christom' (Blue Muffin)
- Burkwood viburnum Viburnum x burkwoodii
- David viburnum Viburnum davidii
- Doublefile viburnum Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum
- Doublefile viburnum 'Mariesii' Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Mariesii'
- Judd viburnum Viburnum x juddii
- Koreanspice viburnum Viburnum carlesii
- Laurustinus Viburnum tinus
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium
- Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake'
- Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants that flower in fall
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7
In flower in: November
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 10 ft (300 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early November to late December; dense clusters; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Attracts
- Butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.