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Viburnum
Viburnum
Viburnum blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Viburnum
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 6.5 ft tall and 6.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Viburnum. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Viburnum
Plant Viburnum in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Viburnum get?
6.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult6.5 ftwideSee Viburnum in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Viburnum
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Viburnum about 6.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Viburnum to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Viburnum's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenViburnum carlesiiheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionViburnum carlesiiheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionViburnum dentatumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenViburnum dentatumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenViburnum opulusheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenViburnum prunifoliumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenViburnum plicatum f. tomentosumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionViburnumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- The Morton ArboretumNannyberry, Viburnum lentagoheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterViburnumheight, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- piedmontmastergardeners.orgPiedmont Master Gardeners, Virginia Cooperative Extension (Viburnum -...sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 6 varieties
Same genus, similar care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Viburnum group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrowwood | White | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 8 ft × 8 ft |
| Blackhaw | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 13 ft × 10 ft |
| Burkwood | White | Apr–May | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 8 ft × 6.5 ft |
| Doublefile | White | May–Jun | Zones 5–8 | Full sun | 10 ft × 11 ft |
| European Snowball | White | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 11 ft × 10 ft |
| Koreanspice | White | Apr–May | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 5 ft × 5 ft |
| Viburnumthis page | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 6.5 ft × 6.5 ft |
Good to know about Viburnum
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
For a heavy berry crop most viburnums need a second, genetically different viburnum blooming nearby: a lone plant or two identical clones fruits poorly. per NC State and Clemson
Eating the berries
Sweeter species like blackhaw are pleasant raw, but the cranberrybush types (V. opulus) are bitter and astringent raw and are better cooked or juiced into jam. per NC State and PubMed Central
Watch for viburnum leaf beetle
Larvae skeletonize leaves in spring and adults chew holes in summer; heavy repeat infestations fully defoliate and can kill the shrub. per Wisconsin and University of Maryland
Some species resist the beetle
The beetle hits arrowwood and cranberrybush hardest but largely spares Koreanspice, doublefile, leatherleaf and dawn viburnum, so species choice is your first defense. per Wisconsin and University of Maryland
Prune right after flowering
Viburnums bloom on old wood, so shape them right after flowering; a dormant or spring cut removes next year's flowers and the berry crop. per Clemson
A huge, varied genus
More than 150 species range from 0.6 to 9 m, deciduous or evergreen, USDA zone 2 to 10, so choose by species, not just the word viburnum. per Clemson
What pairs well with Viburnum
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Purple Coneflower
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Lavender
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Black-Eyed Susan
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Trumpet Vine
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 26 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Lobelia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage.
Japanese Stewartia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 16 ft, for the layer behind it.
Gazania
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; low at 10 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
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