Viburnum dentatum

As implied by its name, this tough native shrub (to 10-15') has straight stout stems once used as arrows. Perhaps of more note in this day and age though, are its glossy red fall color and black berries. Sh-PSh/M

Arrowood viburnum is a fast growing shrub fuzzy white flowers that attract butterflies. The flowers are followed by blue-black berries that the birds love. Fall colors can be red, orange and purple. The finely toothed foliage makes a wonderful addition to cut flower arrangements. Arrowood Viburnum is a delightful shrub that is native to North America.

An extremely cold hardy ornamental, Viburnum dentatum produces flat white flowers in mid-summer followed by bright blue inedible berries. Plants can grow quickly up to 10 feet tall and provide a dense summer screen with lots of color. This species has very few common pests or diseases and therefore is a great choice for low maintenance gardens. Pruning can be done in the winter or late summer, they are tolerant of heavy pruning if you want to keep the plants small but pruning is usually unnecessary.

Arrowwood Viburnum is a North American native multi-stemmed shrub. It has profuse white flowers in spring that attract hundreds of honeybees and butterflies. Later they develop small, blue fruits that feed birds. It responds well to pruning to form a nice, thick hedge. Arrowwood Viburnum is native to the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada. It is hardy to USDA Zone 2, making it an excellent hedge choice for cold climates. It is naturally multi-stemmed, forming a dense thicket with branching all the way to the bottom. The growth rate is moderate, increasing by about 1-2 feet per year. The mature size of Arrowwod Viburnum would be 10’x10’ with no pruning, but it would be easy to maintain as a hedge at anywhere from 5-10’ tall and 2-4’ wide. In spring, Arrowwood Viburnum flowers profusely with beautiful white blooms. Native bees and butterflies find the flowers attractive. Later in fall small blue fruits will develop that are a food source for birds. The thicket of branches also provides a safe habitat for birds and small animals. Fall color varies from yellow to red. It is deciduous, so the leaves will fall for the winter. Arrowwood Viburnum is highly deer-resistant, which is a significant benefit. Arrowwood Viburnum is extremely easy to grow. It tolerates full sun to partial shade, and it grows in a wide range of soils. It can tolerate both dry and moderately wet soils. It transplants well and has excellent response to pruning as a hedge.

An upright, rounded deciduous shrub, the Arrowwood Viburnum typically matures between 6 and 10 feet tall and roughly the same width, which makes it an ideal plant for hedging. Under optimum growing conditions, the shrub can reach a height of 15 feet, so it could potentially be pruned into an effective privacy screen as well. In late spring, the plant produces non-fragrant white flowers, which give way to blue-black, berry-like drupes which attract birds and other wildlife. The Arrowwood Viburnum has ovate glossy dark green leaves with slightly serrated margins. Fall colors range from yellow to orange and red. The plant is native to North America and is widespread throughout many of the eastern states. The plant’s common name comes from the fact that Native Americans used the straight stems of the species for arrow shafts.

Native to a wide area of Eastern North America this shrub is used widely now for navite planting and is a important source of food for wildlife.