Botanical Name: Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum
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Common Name: Doublefile Viburnum  
Plant photo of: Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

Black, Red

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Japanese, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Showy Flowers, Silhouette

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Hedge, Screen, Mass Planting

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Steve Mullany

  • Description

  • Notes

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.