The Garden Club
October 28, 2004

 

    

 

Viburnum setigerum

Viburnums - Something for Everyone
Viburnums  are a large and diverse group of shrubs, so diverse that you could have an entire garden of just Viburnums and no two would look alike. Viburnums are related to honeysuckles, so it is no surprise that many are grown for their fragrant flowers; but they are also planted for other reasons - their beautiful foliage, autumn color and delicate fruits. Carroll Gardens carries many varieties of Viburnums and today we are featuring the most effective for fall fruiting display, Viburnum setigerum.

Viburnum setigerum - Tea Viburnum
Viburnum setigerum is the perfect plant to add interest to your fall garden. The foliage, which is a soft blue-green in the summer, will turn shades of orange, red and maroon in the autumn. In May, white 2 inch flat-topped flower clusters will appear. These flowers are beautiful, but it is not until September-October that the Tea Viburnum really shines. This is when the persistent, glossy, fire engine red fruit clusters are borne, making it the best and most well-known Viburnum for a showy fruit display. This brilliant display continues into winter until the berries are devoured by the birds. The weight of the fruits often cause the multi-stemmed branches to arch over part way, drawing even more attention to this striking deciduous shrub. Unlike many Viburnums which give their best fruiting display where summers are cool and winters are cold, Tea Viburnum fruits well even where summers are hot and winters are warm. Incidentally, Tea Viburnum derives its name from the belief that Chinese monks used it’s leaves to brew tea.

Viburnum setigerum is highly adaptable to a variety of growing conditions making it extremely easy to grow. It will grow best in average well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Expect your Viburnum to grow in an upright vase-shaped habit 8-12 feet tall and 6-9 feet wide. If pruning is necessary, this can be done in very early spring as it flowers on new growth. Viburnum setigerum is particularly effective when planted in mass plantings or in groups as a shrub border, informal hedge or as a screen. As most of the fruit display is on the top two-thirds of the shrub, I often dress down Tea Viburnum plantings, especially individual specimens, with low evergreens.

 Planting and Care

  • For best results plant in fall or spring.

  • Prefers full sun to part shade.

  • Plant 8 feet apart in moist but well-drained soil.

  • Fertilize with Plant-Tone and Kelp Meal in early spring and late fall.

  • Hardy in zones 5-7 into the colder portions of zone 8.

  • 3 gallon pots for $38.85 less 20%

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 Viburnum setigerum

Garden Club Frequently Asked Questions
 

A few quick notes from Alan:

Dylox grub killer is back in stock at our retail store and is also available for shipping.

A few of our amaryllis bulbs are starting to push buds now and should be in bloom by Thanksgiving. This is the earliest we have ever seen them sprout. Double flowered salmon pink Lady Jane will bloom first and will probably be the only one to be in time for Thanksgiving. Bulbs are available in our store or we can ship them to you. Imagine amaryllis in bloom on the Thanksgiving table.

Driving around I see the same three mums over and over again. Obviously winter hardy for several seasons and standing erect probably without pinching are: Single Apricot, Crown Jewel and Red Crown Jewel.

The exciting thing is that Crown Jewel at my house mutated one branch to baby-blanket pink. I have separated the branch and we are trying to reproduce it. Before I have a new plant, with a lot of promise to share with you, we have to clear three hurdles:

1. Getting the cuttings to root.

2. Getting the rooted cuttings to send up new shoots for next year. (the most difficult step)

3. Developing stable stock that doesn’t revert to purple.

I’ll keep you informed as we progress.

Question: My Red Knockout Roses are still blooming beautifully. I have a large sunny hillside in front of them and I would like to plant a long-blooming, low-growing perennial that would fill in this space and give nice color contrast. What do you suggest?

Answer: It sounds to me as if you have the perfect spot for catmint (Nepeta faassenii, also known as Nepeta mussinii). Catmint has lavender blue flowers, about the same color intensity as the Red Knockout Rose, all summer long and well into the fall. The foliage is an attractive shade of grayish green. Catmint spreads but not invasively, so plant them 24-30 inches apart. I suggest you consider the variety Walker’s Low because it makes a neater mound only about a foot tall compared to the 18-24 inch height of Dropmore Hybrid.

Question: Can you tell me how to make my Poinsettia bloom again for Christmas. It’s been indoors all summer. Last time I tried I didn’t get blooms until February.

Answer: Poinsettias need 14 hours of darkness every night for about 6 weeks to color-up. This dark period must occur every night without fail. If you start now you should have color just in time for Christmas. The easiest way I have found to achieve total darkness without fail in a home situation is to cover the poinsettia every evening with a large appliance box such as a television set came in and uncover it every morning.

Question: I have two broken gazing balls. The base stays standing but I find the gazing ball smashed on the ground when I get up in the morning. Any suggestions?

Answer: I am not sure what the trouble is. It could be cats, squirrels, strong winds or a poor fit of your particular gazing ball with the base. There are some unbreakable gazing balls. The most realistic I have seen is made of stainless steel, but I believe it only comes in silver color. Another possibility is to use some clear silicone sealant to fasten your gazing ball to the base. In general, I have noticed that the gazing balls made in the United States are significantly thicker than those made in China.

Question: We have two large, sunny areas in our lawn that are totally bare and I have to get some kind of grass growing this fall. I want to plant the Black Beauty Grass Seed that you are always talking about. One of the spots is from construction and the other is from grub damage. I don’t want to wait until spring because the lawn looks awful and I need to put down crab grass preventer next spring, which I believe means I can’t plant grass seed next spring. HELP!

Answer: It is very late to be planting the best sun grass seeds. I suggest you get to it immediately, prepare the soil really well with tilled in compost and fertilize at ½ strength with Turf Trust. Mix about 5% annual rye grass in with your Black Beauty, spray with Super Bio and cover the whole area with plastic to make a temporary greenhouse. Scatter bricks under the plastic to keep the plastic from laying on the soil and peg down the edges with earth staples. Milky white translucent plastic is the best. Opaque black plastic will not do; clear plastic is okay, but not the best. Remove the plastic only for occasional watering and on really hot sunny days, should we have any. Remove the plastic totally when the fine-bladed slower-germinating Black Beauty grass is about 2 inches tall. Depending upon the season, this procedure sometimes works really well.

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