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Luzon Viburnum

Viburnum luzonicum

Flower
Luzon Viburnum

Rarely seen in American gardens, this dense eastern Asian shrub offers white spring flowers, a dramatic fruit sequence from red to black, and purple-red leaves that hold through winter.

Luzon Viburnum is an uncommon find, native to the open woodlands and roadsides of eastern Asia and seldom encountered in cultivation in the United States. At maturity it reaches 8 to 15 feet tall with a similar spread, forming a dense, twiggy, haystack silhouette that functions well as a hedge or screen. Leaf shape varies considerably across the species, giving individual specimens their own character. Foliage turns purple-red in fall and often clings through winter until new growth emerges in spring.

Small white flowers appear in spring with a slightly unpleasant fragrance, a minor note for what is otherwise a plant with genuine four-season structure. The rounded fruits that follow open red before deepening to black, offering winter interest in a season when most shrubs have little to say. Grow in high organic-matter, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade; established plants handle some drought in zones 7 to 9.

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Zone7 - 9
TypeShrub
FoliageDeciduous
GrowthFast
Height8 - 15 ft
BloomSpring
MaintenanceLow
SunFull sun
SoilHigh organic matter
DrainageGood drainage
FormBroad
DesignFoundation planting
FamilyViburnaceae
LocationsNaturalized Area
Garden themesCottage Garden
AttractsPollinators
Resistant toDrought
Palettes