• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

Garden Making

Inspiring ideas and information for great home gardens

  • Design
  • Containers
  • Food
  • Gardens to visit
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
    • Manitoba
    • Ontario
    • Quebec
    • New Brunswick
    • Nova Scotia
    • Newfoundland
    • England
    • U.S.
  • Events Calendar
    • By organizing group
    • By location of events
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
    • Saskatchewan
    • Manitoba
    • Ontario
    • Quebec
    • New Brunswick
    • Nova Scotia
    • Prince Edward Island
    • Newfoundland & Labrador
    • Form to list your event
  • Reader photos
    • Reader images of gardens
    • Container gardening images
    • Reader images of plants in 2019
    • Reader images of plants in 2018
    • Reader images of plants in 2017
    • Reader images of plants in 2016
    • Submit photo to Garden Making
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Making a Garden / Early viburnums

Early viburnums

By Judith Adam Filed Under: Making a Garden

Judd viburnum blossoms are highly fragrant. (Photo by Brendan Zwelling)
Judd viburnum blossoms are highly fragrant. (Photo by Brendan Zwelling)

The past two weeks of near-freezing night temperatures have made frost damage to emerging perennials a threat. However, there’s always a silver lining, and the viburnums love this extended cool period. I have four viburnums with perfumed flowers that bloom sequentially (one beginning as another is finishing), and their season started when ‘Dawn’ arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’, Zone 6) burst into bloom in early March, and lasted for a full month. I have two of these, because I’m greedy about anything blooming so early; one is by my office window.

Next to bloom is Burkwood viburnum (V. x burkwoodii, Zone 6, possibly Zone 5 if not in a windy location) that fills a back corner. Its dark green foliage has an attractive lustre that shines in sunlight all summer, and the many white flowers have a spicy scent that moves across the garden in waves. (Woody plant expert Michael Dirr says this is a favourite in his garden, where it asks little and gives much.)

My favourite, Judd viburnum (V. x juddii, Zone 5), blooms next, and is planted under the living room window where I can keep an eye on it. It produces beautiful creamy flowers from bright pink buds, and is highly fragrant. The perfume is impressive, and some think this might be the best of all the scented viburnums (and I agree). The Judd viburnum is now in full bloom, and will be followed by its fragrance rival, Koreanspice viburnum (V. carlesii, Zone 5), which has this morning opened its first flower. The buds and eventual blooms on Koreanspice viburnum are the most substantial of all these shrubs, with semi- hemispherical cymes of white flowers with thick waxy petals.

These viburnums fill the early spring air with delicious scent for at least six weeks, and make the most of cool temperatures. All this, even before we get to the first lilacs!

Other posts by Judith this week:

  • Community birdbaths
  • Pumpkins as groundcover

Posts by Judith last week:

  • Making sense of fertilizers  
  • ‘Pink Charm’ narcissus
  • PJM rhododendrons

 

Published: May 2, 2012 | Updated: February 6, 2019

Sign up for Garden Making updates

We do not share emails. Your information will be used as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

Please look for our email. You must click on the link in the email to confirm. Check your inbox or spam folder.

About Judith Adam

Judith Adam is a horticulturist, landscape designer and author of several best-selling gardening books, including Landscape Planning. She lives in Toronto.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Search

Reader submissions

  • Enter draw to win a prize
  • Form to list your event
  • Submit photo to Garden Making

When you’re looking for

  • Books for gardeners
  • Containers in your garden
  • Design
  • Food to grow
  • Gardens to visit
  • Growing from seed
  • How to
  • Plant ideas
  • Tips for gardeners

Garden Making magazine

  • Buy magazine issues
  • Garden Making list of magazine issues
  • Garden Making index of magazine articles

Copyright © 2021 Inspiring Media Inc. | GARDEN MAKING is a registered trademark | About | Service | Terms of use | Privacy policy | Account