Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'
Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur' · Viburnaceae
Glossy leaves that turn deep maroon-red in autumn, and berries that ripen from white through pink to blue, with all the colours showing at once.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early June to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'
The planner designed this bed around witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 8, pink
- 3 Stemless gentian × 30, blue
- 4 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 6 Lady's mantle × 8, green
- 7 Camassia × 5, blue
- 8 Asiatic lily × 3, orange
- 9 Easter lily × 4, white
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only flat plates. The others are open bowls, trumpets, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ 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 brown-eyed Susan (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 early June to late June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei', lady's mantle, Asiatic lily and others in late June: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 10 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. White mugwort and witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. It is planted in layers: about 8 in at the front, 2½ ft in the middle and 4½ ft at the back.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 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 witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' goes in a border
At 6½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 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.
The pink and blue berries against wine-red leaves are remarkable. It needs another variety, such as 'Brandywine', nearby to set fruit.
- The best berry display of any viburnum
- Wet soil
- Autumn colour
What to plant with witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Summersweet: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid July; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- Virginia sweetspire: in flower together for four weeks, from early June; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- Cinnamon fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'
Does witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' need sun or shade?
Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), 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 plenty of water. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to late June. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Early June to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 7 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 8 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 9 | Late May to mid June |
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 witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' be planted?
5 ft (150 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 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' 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 witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'?
Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Virginia sweetspire: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 20 in shorter, 12 in narrower.
- Siberian dogwood: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to early June.
- Buttonbush: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late June to early August, wants wet soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after witherod viburnum 'Winterthur'?
Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Summersweet: from mid July to mid August, 6½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Hardy hibiscus: from late July to mid September, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' look like in winter?
Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' good for bees and butterflies?
Witherod viburnum 'Winterthur' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of spring azure and hummingbird clearwing feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
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
- 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'
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
- Host plants for the spring azure
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: June
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early June to late June; flat plates; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green, burgundy
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Spring azure, Hummingbird clearwing
- Stands up to
- Wet soil
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.