David viburnum
Viburnum davidii · Viburnaceae
A low, wide dome of large, leathery, dark leaves, each with three deep, parallel veins, and metallic turquoise-blue berries on red stalks.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid May to late May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around david viburnum
The planner designed this bed around david viburnum when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why david viburnum stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 David viburnum × 1, white
- 2 Green-and-gold × 30, yellow
- 3 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 16, blue
- 4 Feather reed grass 'Avalanche' × 3, tan
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 6 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 7 Camassia × 5, blue
- 8 Checkered lily × 8, purple
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are daisies, open bowls, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do feather reed grass 'Avalanche' and palm sedge.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over green-and-gold (6 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' (4 ft) and feather reed grass 'Avalanche' (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 three weeks. From mid May to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With green-and-gold and camassia in mid May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from mid May. Cool colours (blue, pink and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white and tan to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where david viburnum goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 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.
One of the best low evergreens for a mild climate: it is always neat. Plant several together, since single plants fruit poorly.
- A low evergreen mass
- Bold foliage texture
- Blue berries
What to plant with david viburnum
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese anemone: carries the spot on into early October; medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about david viburnum
Does david viburnum need sun or shade?
David viburnum grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does david viburnum grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 9. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does david viburnum flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Late April to early May |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to early May |
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 david viburnum be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many david viburnum plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is david 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 david viburnum?
David viburnum comes from China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Munchkin': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in narrower, flowers late June to late August.
- Summersweet 'Hummingbird': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers mid July to mid August.
- Dwarf fothergilla: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers late April to mid May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat david viburnum?
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 flowers after david viburnum?
David viburnum is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Siberian iris: from late May to late June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does david viburnum look like in winter?
David viburnum keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is david viburnum good for bees and butterflies?
David viburnum 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)
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn' Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'
- Burkwood viburnum Viburnum x burkwoodii
- 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
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid May to late May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Comes from
- China
- 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.