Viburnum lantana

Wayfaring tree is our domestic species of viburnum. Its natural habitat is all over Europe, especially its sunny and dry rolling land where it commonly used to grow especially along dirt tracks and pathways. It is found as far as in North Africa and Southeast Asia. It is a very hardy and vigorously growing shrub or small tree that requires zero care and prefers somewhat dry conditions as it gets by with so much water that only occasional rain provides. In the wild you can find it growing along dog roses, barberries, and similar undemanding shrubs.

It features large, leathery, broadly oval, slightly hairy leaves 6-12 cm long. They are deciduous, medium green and usually turn scarlet red or maroon in autumn. It blooms profusely from May to June with up to 10 cm wide cymes composed of small, white, strongly scented flowers, which are followed in late summer by very attractive, glossy red fruits for about a month before turning black. They are non-poisonous, nor edible, and provide plenty of food for birds as well as melliferous flowers offer plenty of food for bees and other insects.

It grows rather fast and forms strong, upright, slightly hairy canes that form lateral branches later. The habit is rounded and spreading, you can expect both height and width of fully mature plants up to 5 meters without pruning. Still, in gardens we often pruned it to keep it smaller and bushier. Do so immediately after flowering. You will lose fruit, but not flowers, which would certainly happen if you pruned it in spring. Pruning after fruit production is also possible but may still reduce the number of flowers for the following year. Well-kept shrubs make a beautiful specimen in any garden. It is often used for flowering hedges, eco-gardens, forest parks and public green spaces.

Deciduous viburnums grow in any well-drained, medium fertile soil. Wayfaring tree thrives in full sun and high pH soils (alkaline) but will cope with slightly acidic pH as well as part shade. It cannot stand in wet ground but withstands long-lasting drought once established. It is extremely hardy to approx. -44 °C (USDA zone 2).

Last update 19-01-2023