Doublefile are generally large, deciduous viburnum with a broadly rounded form, horizontal branching, multi-stemmed habit growing 8 to 10 feet tall and generally wider than tall. Leaves are early to emerge, are roughly oval with pointed tip and base, serrated margins, of dark green color, and with slightly hairy undersides. Fall color is purplish red. Flowers are white, in flat-topped clusters, and appear in May; followed by fruits which ripen to red and then black in August and is much enjoyed by birds. Use in shrub and foundation borders, as a screen or hedge, or mass planting. A number of cultivars are available.
Grow in well drained, loamy soils in full sun to partial shade. Though adaptive to soil types, prefers those that are loamy. Avoid shearing as it ruins the lovely horizontal branching pattern; if pruning is required to control size, do so infrequently and selectively (see guides). V. plicatum is a very similar cultivar, and it seems sometimes as if the two are used interchangeably. The only important difference between the two are that V.p. var. tomentosum blooms a couple weeks later, with the flowers tending to more of a "lacecap" appearance. Otherwise, nearly identical.