Viburnum x burkwoodii
Burkwood viburnum

• Hardiness: USDA Zone 4.

• Water use: Moderate; tolerates some drought.

• Light: Full sun or partial shade.

• Size: 8 to 12 feet tall and more than half that wide.

• Origin: This shrub was created in England in 1924 by crossing Viburnum carlesii with Viburnum utile.

• Plant habit: Semi-evergreen, spring flowering, upright, multistem, woody shrub.

• Leaves: Dark green leaves are shiny above.  Fall color is orange and red.  During mild winters, the leaves remain on the shrub.  In Pullman and Moscow, most of the leaves fall off during most winters.

• Flowers: Blooms in spring.  Flowers are pleasantly fragrant.  The clusters of flowers resemble small snowballs.  Flower buds are dark pink and usually open to white.  Some cultivars have been selected for redder buds and pink flowers.

• Fruit: Some plants form sparse clusters of small fruit.   They begin red, then turn black in early fall.

• Culture: This shrub is easy to grow.  It tolerates heavy soils.

• Maintenance: This shrub can be slow to fill in, so it often looks sparse when it is young.  Pruning this shrub after flowering can help this.