Burkwood viburnum
Viburnum x burkwoodii · Viburnaceae
Pink buds open into ball-shaped clusters of white flowers with a rich, spicy scent in spring. The glossy leaves hang on late, and some turn wine red.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Burkwood viburnum
The planner designed this bed around Burkwood viburnum 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 Burkwood viburnum stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Burkwood viburnum × 1, white
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 40, pink
- 3 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 7, purple
- 4 Indian grass 'Sioux Blue' × 3, tan
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 6 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 7 White sage 'Valerie Finnis' × 8, silver leaves
- 8 Lowbush blueberry × 8, white
- 9 Purple milkweed × 3, purple
- 10 Black-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 11 Easter lily × 6, white
- 12 Broad-leaved grape hyacinth × 19, blue
- 13 Daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' × 17, yellow
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do Indian grass 'Sioux Blue' and lowbush blueberry.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 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 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 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 four weeks. From mid April to early May.
- In company. With broad-leaved grape hyacinth and daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' in mid April: 3 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 13 of the 16 groups (81%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The longest in flower is verbena 'Homestead Purple': 21 weeks, from mid May to early October. Cool colours (pink, purple and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and white, tan and cream to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 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 Burkwood viburnum goes in a border
At 8 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.
Grow it for the scent, which carries across the garden. It tolerates heat and pollution better than Koreanspice viburnum.
- Fragrance in spring
- Near a path, window or seat
- A screen that is evergreen in mild winters
What to plant with Burkwood viburnum
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daffodil: in flower together for four weeks, from mid April; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Tulip: in flower together for three weeks, from late April; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Peony: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Burkwood viburnum
Does Burkwood viburnum need sun or shade?
Burkwood viburnum 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Burkwood viburnum grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 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 Burkwood viburnum flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid April |
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 Burkwood viburnum 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 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Burkwood viburnum 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 Burkwood viburnum 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 Burkwood viburnum?
Burkwood viburnum is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Saskatoon serviceberry: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 20 in taller, 8 in wider.
- Large fothergilla: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; wants moist soil.
- Winterberry 'Winter Red': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in wider, flowers early June to late June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after Burkwood viburnum?
Burkwood viburnum is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Peony: from late May to late June, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Lilac 'Miss Kim': from late May to mid June, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine': from late May to late June, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does Burkwood viburnum look like in winter?
Burkwood viburnum holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Viburnum
- American cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum
- Arrowwood viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum dentatum 'Christom' (Blue Muffin)
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 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
- Mid April to early May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Viburnaceae
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.