Author: Natalya Category: Fruit and berry plants Published: June 08, 2016Republished: February 09, 2019Last edits: November 02, 2020
- Spring care
- When to prune
- Reproduction methods
- Viburnum opulus (Viburnum opulus)
- Beneficial features
Viburnum (lat. Viburnum) belongs to the genus of woody flowering plants of the Adoxaceae family, of which there are more than 160 species. Representatives of this genus are distributed in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, as well as in the Andes, the Antilles and Madagascar. The plant received the Slavic word “viburnum” presumably because of its red, seemingly red-hot berries. In Slavic culture, there are many legends, tales, sayings and proverbs about viburnum. In the middle zone you can most often find the common viburnum (Viburnum opulus), but for some time now this plant has appeared in our gardens.
Planting and caring for viburnum
- Planting: in spring or autumn.
- Lighting: bright light, but partial shade is better.
- Soil: any, except peat and podzolic. Acidity is preferably neutral or slightly acidic – pH 5.5-6.5.
- Watering: weekly, water consumption - 3-4 buckets per adult bush. Young plants require less moisture, but they are watered in the same regime.
- dressing: dry is preferred: in the spring - two tablespoons of urea are scattered along the trunk circle of each bush, before flowering, a half-liter jar of ash and 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate are scattered along the root area, and after flowering - 2 tablespoons of Nitroammofoska. The last time is to add a solution of 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water, but if you mulch the tree trunk circles with organic matter, you can do without the last fertilizing.
- Pruning: in the spring, before the buds open, sanitary and formative pruning is carried out, and in the fall, if necessary, sanitary pruning is carried out.
- Reproduction: seeds, cuttings, layering (horizontal and vertical), root shoots.
- Pests: viburnum leaf beetles, black leaf rollers, viburnum leaf rollers, honeysuckle gall midges, green lobed moths.
Read more about growing viburnum below.
Plant propagation methods
In the process of caring for the plant, fertilizing and watering are carried out; pruning the viburnum is necessary to form the crown and adjust the shape of the bush, otherwise it will grow arbitrarily, taking up a lot of space on the site.
Viburnum propagation is carried out in several ways; for this, they use self-collected seeds, simple cuttings and layering that appear in the spring; this makes the process of growing the shrub very simple, which is very much appreciated among novice gardeners.
Botanical description
Viburnum is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Viburnum leaves are opposite, sometimes whorled, deciduous, simple, lobed, palmately lobed or entire, serrated or entire, petiolate. The apical simple or complex umbellate or umbellate-corymbose inflorescences consist of pink or white flowers. Flowering viburnum begins in late May or early June. The fruit is usually an edible drupe of red or blue-black color. The lifespan of viburnum is on average 50-60 years.
Today, viburnum is gaining popularity among amateur gardeners and is grown in home gardens along with such fruit trees as apple, pear, plum, cherry and sweet cherry. We offer you a detailed story about how to plant viburnum in your garden, how to care for viburnum from the moment of planting until the end of its life cycle, how to propagate viburnum, how to feed viburnum to ensure a stable harvest of its most valuable berries, how to prune viburnum to prolong its lifespan - we have collected and systematized all this information in our article so that it is easy and convenient for you to use it.
Planting viburnum
When to plant
Planting and caring for viburnum does not involve any difficulties. Viburnum grows well on neutral and slightly acidic soils (pH 5.5-6.5), but peat, podzolic and sandy soils are not suitable for it. The depth of groundwater in the area where viburnum grows is desirable to be at least 1 m. In order for your viburnum to grow for a long time and be healthy, create conditions for it that are close to natural.
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Viburnum loves good light, but grows best in partial shade. Some experts even claim that viburnum grown in shady places is less susceptible to attack by pests.
Viburnum is planted both in spring and autumn. Before planting, the area is dug up, freeing the soil from weeds. There is no need to add organic fertilizers to fertile soil, but if the soil is poor, fertilizers are applied directly into the hole during planting.
Spring planting
So, in the spring, before the leaves bloom, dig a hole measuring 50x50x50 in the area. If you are planting more than one bush, then place the holes at a distance of 2.5-3.5 m from each other. Pour 2/3 of a thoroughly mixed soil mixture into the hole, consisting of the top layer of soil taken out of the hole, 1 bucket of humus or peat and 2 cups of Nitrophoska, pour out 4 buckets of water and leave for several days.
After about a week, pour the remaining mixture into a heap into the hole so that it rises 10-12 cm above the surface, place the roots of a three-year-old seedling on the mound, straighten them, fill the hole with the remaining mixture, compact the surface of the area around the seedling, water it generously and mulch the tree trunk circle with compost , peat or humus. Try to place the viburnum seedlings so that their root collar is 5-6 cm underground.
Planting in autumn
Autumn planting of viburnum is no different from spring. Viburnum is planted in the time period between leaf fall and the first frost.
How to propagate viburnum Buldenezh
For those who already grow a plant on their site, but want to increase the number of shrubs, it is important to know the methods of propagation. One of the features of this plant is that the flowers of ornamental viburnum are sterile, so only vegetative propagation is possible.
It can be propagated in three ways:
Bush dividing method
Viburnum Buldenezh should be propagated by dividing the bush as carefully as possible so as not to injure the root system. To plant Buldenezh, you need to partially dig up the roots and delicately separate the young daughter shoot from the mother bush. This must be done so that both the first and second parts of the bush normally hold the branches and roots.
By layering
The method of sprinkling layering is a very simple and convenient method. The optimal timing for the event is late spring-early summer.
Reproduction by layering proceeds according to the following scheme:
- Under the bushes you need to make small in depth (up to ten centimeters), but long grooves.
- Then the side shoots of the annual shrub are lowered to the ground and placed in these grooves.
- Layers should be secured with hooks or staples.
- After this, you need to fill the outlets with compost, lightly compact them and moisten them generously with water at normal temperature. In the future, watering should be carried out in a timely manner.
- When shoots form, hilling should be carried out to create a normal level of humidity.
- Separation from the main bush is carried out in the fall when roots form; branches are cut off with sharp pruning shears. Then the young plant is dug up and transplanted into a container with soil. Replanting to a permanent location should be done when the root system has become stronger (usually it takes about two years).
Video: propagation by layering (using the example of ordinary viburnum)
By cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is considered a longer and more painstaking task. Despite the fact that the formation of roots takes a long time, and the survival process sometimes ends in failure, this method is practiced. Performed in the summer when pruning. Suitable material for propagation is young shoots with a pair of living, healthy buds.
The event is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- First of all, you should carefully cut off the young shoots, leaving one node with buds and eliminating the rest of the foliage.
- Then the shoots need to be placed for ten hours in a solution that activates root formation, for example, you can use the drug “Kornevin”.
- While the cuttings are in the solution, beds for planting should be made. For the beds you need to make a suitable substrate: turf soil, humus, sand (the components must be in the same ratio).
- Planting is done in a moistened substrate. The cuttings are rooted to a depth of about two or two and a half centimeters.
- After this, you should make a greenhouse: carefully cover it with a plastic bottle or film.
- Next, you need to regularly moisten the soil.
Viburnum care
Spring care
At the end of March or beginning of April, last year's foliage is removed from under the bushes and the soil in the tree trunk is loosened. A little later, viburnum bushes are treated with fungicides against pathogens and pests that have overwintered in the upper layers of the soil or in cracks of trunks and branches. You can treat the plant with a seven percent urea solution - both as a top dressing and as a preventive measure against diseases and pests, but before spraying the viburnum, make sure that the buds on it are not yet opening, otherwise you can burn them.
Towards mid-May, viburnum is fed with potassium fertilizer, and after flowering, complex fertilizer is applied to the soil around the tree trunk.
How to care in summer
After flowering, viburnum is fed with complex fertilizer if necessary. Regularly inspect the plant for harmful insects and promptly treat viburnum for diseases. At the beginning of June, you can treat the viburnum with an infusion of tobacco, or you can periodically spray the bushes with an infusion of potato tops, onion peels or garlic from June until harvest.
Otherwise, caring for viburnum in the summer consists of regular watering and loosening the soil in the tree trunk circle while simultaneously destroying emerging weeds.
Caring for viburnum in autumn
After the viburnum sheds its leaves, remove it along with the old mulch, carry out preventive treatment of the viburnum against pests and pathogens that have spent the winter in the bark and soil, add liquid fertilizer to the soil or mulch the tree trunk circles again with rotted organic matter.
When stable frosts occur, remove the clusters of berries from the bushes and place them in storage.
Viburnum processing
Viburnum, just like other garden trees and shrubs, can suffer from harmful insects and various kinds of diseases, so it is very advisable to protect it from them by preventive treatment in spring and autumn. Insecticides are used to kill insects, and fungicide sprays are effective against fungal diseases. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to cure viburnum from viral and bacterial diseases, but since their pathogens are most often carried by pests from the insect world, timely destruction of pests or their larvae will help avoid infection.
Watering
Growing viburnum is difficult without weekly watering, especially when it is hot and dry. Water consumption per watering is 3-4 buckets per fruit-bearing bush. A young shrub does not require much moisture, but the frequency of watering should remain constant. A rainy summer certainly makes adjustments, but you must remember that viburnum loves moisture, so do not leave it without water for a long time.
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Top dressing
Since you have to water viburnum often, it is advisable to apply fertilizer in dry form - scatter it around the tree trunk before watering. The first fertilizing is applied in the spring, when the leaves begin to bloom: 2 tablespoons of urea are scattered under each viburnum bush (this is if you did not spray the viburnum with urea on the dormant buds).
It is advisable to apply the second fertilizer, potash, before flowering: under each bush, scatter a half-liter jar of wood ash or 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate.
Viburnum will need a third feeding after flowering: 2 tablespoons of Nitroammofoska are scattered under each bush.
The last feeding is only needed if you do not mulch the viburnum tree trunk with organic matter for the winter, and it consists of two buckets of a solution of the following composition: 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate, dissolved in 10 liters of water.
Caring for a rooted plant: watering, fertilizing and pruning
Decorative viburnum, its care and cultivation does not require much effort, it is not capricious, fertilizing in the spring is carried out twice before the leaves appear and before flowering, in the summer one application of potassium sulphide is enough.
Watering is necessary exclusively on hot and dry days, but it is not done under scorching rays, you must wait until the temperature drops, pruning is very important for a shrub that can grow luxuriantly, it is important to leave 8 main branches and form the crown at your discretion.
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In the spring, viburnum bushes are covered with a lush, snow-white color, and in the fall it is dotted with bright and rich red clusters of berries; after the first frost, they become sweet and sour and are used in folk and alternative medicine.
Pruning viburnum
When to prune
Like other garden trees and shrubs, it is better to prune viburnum in the spring, before the sap begins to flow. You can cut it in the fall, after the leaves fall, but since it is difficult to know for sure when the frosts will strike, it is better to carry out serious pruning (rejuvenating or formative) in the spring, and in the fall it is worth pruning the viburnum only for sanitary purposes.
Pruning in spring
In nature, viburnum grows as a tree or in the form of a bush, so it is formed as a bush or tree. In the spring, before the sap begins to flow, they carry out sanitary and then formative pruning of the viburnum: if you want the viburnum to grow as a tree, leave one vertical branch, cut the rest into a ring, and remove the buds in the lower part of the stem, where the trunk is planned.
The trunk takes 2-3 years to grow, and when it reaches a height of 1.5-2 m, the growth point is pinched to stimulate branching. All this time you will have to remove root shoots, otherwise you will form a bush. Keep the trunk clean by removing any side shoots that form.
Whether you form a tree or allow the viburnum to grow as a bush, you need to prune the plant in any case, because with age its crown will thicken and grow, and it will become increasingly difficult for you to pick berries from it, and the quality of the fruit will begin to deteriorate over time, and the quantity will decrease.
Remove competing branches and shoots, as well as those growing inside the bush or in the wrong direction. When the time comes to rejuvenate the bush, cut off a third of the old branches, and leave the most developed shoots from the basal shoots, which will eventually replace the old branches removed. The next year, replace another third of the old branches, and the third year, replace the last third.
Rejuvenating pruning of viburnum, formed like a tree, is carried out according to the same scheme as similar pruning of fruit trees.
Autumn pruning
After the end of leaf fall, when the viburnum has fallen into a dormant state, it is sanitary pruned - broken, dry branches and shoots affected by disease or pests are removed. Sections thicker than 7 mm are treated with garden varnish. Choose a dry, warm day for this procedure.
Formation
Unlike other fruit shrubs, viburnum does not require frequent pruning of shoots. Typically, shoots are removed once a year.
To grow viburnum as a bush, in the early spring of the second year, all branches must be removed at 2-3 nodes. When the length of the shoots reaches 30 cm, pinch off the growing points.
When forming a plant as a bush, in the spring all branches are removed by 2-3 nodes. The growth points are pinched when they reach a length of 30 cm. The awakened buds will give rise to young shoots. They will be the main component of the plant. In subsequent years, systematic pruning of viburnum will form the desired size of the bush.
If you want to see the viburnum as a tree, at the beginning of its formation you need to leave a vertical central trunk. The remaining side branches should be removed. The growth around the bush is also trimmed. After 2-3 years, a trunk with a height of about two meters will form. The crown is formed by pinching the growth point. The tip of the conductor is cut off and several buds appear at the cut site. Thanks to this procedure, the tree becomes branchy.
Growing viburnum on your own plot is not difficult. You need to know how to care for her competently. Then the plant will delight you with magnificent flowers and beautiful healthy berries.
Viburnum propagation
Reproduction methods
Viburnum is propagated by seeds and vegetatively - by cuttings, horizontal and vertical layering and root shoots. Seed propagation is difficult because the seeds germinate within two years. The simplest and least labor-intensive way to propagate viburnum is by vertical layering.
Growing from seeds
In order to speed up the germination of viburnum seeds, they need to be subjected to pre-sowing treatment. Freshly collected seeds are placed in nylon stockings with wet sawdust and stored at room temperature for two months, and when they begin to germinate, they are placed in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator for a month, after which they are sown to a depth of 3-4 cm in boxes and wait for germination. In the spring, after the return frosts have passed, the seedlings are planted in open ground, watered abundantly and shaded from direct sunlight for the first time.
Reproduction by vertical layering
In the fall, the lower branches of young plants on viburnum are shortened, leaving only 2-4 buds on them, and the stem is spud high. When in the spring the shoots from these buds grow 8-10 cm, they are spud up again to a height of 4-5 cm. When the shoots stretch to 20-30 cm, they are dug up, tied at the base with copper wire and again spud up to a third of the height. After a couple of weeks, another hilling is carried out. By autumn, the shoots are dug up, separated and transplanted to a permanent place.
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Viburnum cuttings
Green cuttings take root best, and although cutting viburnum is not an easy process, in some cases it is the only possible way to propagate viburnum. Viburnum cuttings are harvested during the flowering period - in June or early July, when they spring back when bent and do not break. For cuttings you need a middle part of the shoot 10-12 cm long, on which there will be 2-3 nodes. The lower cut should be oblique, the upper leaves should be shortened by half, and the lower ones should be removed.
Dust the lower sections of the cuttings with Kornevin or hold them for several 10-12 hours in a Heteroauxin solution, then plant the cuttings in a substrate consisting of equal parts of river sand and peat. The planting should be inclined, the cuttings are buried 1-2 cm into the substrate, maintaining a distance of 4-5 cm between specimens. After planting, the cuttings are covered with a transparent dome and kept at an air temperature of 27-30 ºC and a humidity of about 90%, moistening the cuttings 3-4 times a day with water from a spray bottle.
After three weeks, the cuttings take root, and the dome begins to be removed for a while, accustoming the cuttings to a normal environment. When they get used to it, the cap is removed completely. The cuttings spend the winter indoors, and in the spring, after two weeks of hardening, they are planted in open ground according to the 50x15 pattern and grown. When the seedlings grow enough, they are transplanted to a permanent place.
Reproduction by horizontal layering
In the spring, a two- to three-year-old branch is cut off, leaving a part with 2-4 buds, and a year later, next spring, the regrown one-year-old shoot is shortened by one fifth, bent to the ground, placed in a groove 5-6 cm deep, secured with hooks, but not buried , but wait until shoots develop from the buds and reach a height of 10-15 cm, and only after that they fill the furrow with a mixture of peat and humus so that the tops of the branches remain on the surface.
During the summer, growing shoots are hilled 2-3 times. In the fall, the branched viburnum branch is cut off from the mother bush, and the rooted shoots are separated from the layer and planted in a permanent place.
Reproduction by root shoots
This is a quick and easy solution to the problem of reproduction. At the end of spring or early summer, the basal shoots, which have reached a height of 20 cm, are spud to a height of 7-8 cm, having previously pulled them over at the base with soft wire. During the summer, 2-3 hillings of the shoots are carried out, eventually bringing the height of the mound to 20 cm, and next spring they are separated from the bush and replanted.
General description of the bush
The charming name of viburnum has French roots - Boule de Neige translates as “snow globe”. And this is exactly the case when the name completely characterizes the appearance. The plant is valued not only for its flowers, but also for its beautiful leaves. Due to its beauty and sophistication, the plant is often used in landscape design and in ordinary summer cottages.
The average height of the bush is from two to three or three and a half meters. Flowers can reach up to fifteen centimeters in diameter. With proper cultivation, regular and systematic care, the shrub can live up to fifty years.
The flowering period of viburnum is from late spring to early summer; it blooms most often for two to three weeks. Due to the abundance of large snow globes, the branches become heavier, so in some cases they need to be supported to prevent them from breaking.
An interesting feature of the plant is that the flowers are odorless.
You can plant and replant Buldenezh viburnum either next to other crops or in splendid isolation. In both the first and second versions it will look interesting.
Video: description of the plant
Viburnum diseases and their treatment
Viburnum in the garden can be subject to troubles in the form of diseases and harmful insects. Diseases and pests of viburnum are not very numerous, and it is not so difficult to cope with them, but it is still better to prevent the occurrence of a problem than to deal with it later. Among the diseases that affect viburnum more often than others:
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease, the symptoms of which look like a whitish coating on the leaves of the plant, with drops of liquid, which gradually turns brown. The infection rises from the bottom of the plant upward. In a diseased plant, the inflorescences do not form ovaries, and the viburnum does not bear fruit. The winter hardiness of the plant decreases. Decorative species are losing their attractiveness.
Control measures. A good effect is achieved by treating viburnum with a solution of 50 g of colloidal sulfur in 10 liters of water or with fungicides such as Skor, Topsin, Tiovit Jet, Topaz, Quadris, Bayleton and other preparations of similar action;
Frost burn is a disease caused not by infection, but by exposure to low temperatures. This causes the bark to crack, the wood to become exposed and die. On the side shoots of frostbitten branches, the leaves are pale, chlorotic, they turn brown and dry quickly. By mid-summer the entire bush may dry out.
Control measures. Severely damaged stems are cut out at the beginning of spring, and those that are slightly damaged are covered with liquid clay in places of damage;
Ascochyta spotting of viburnum - angular or rounded gray spots with a purple or dark brown border appear on diseased leaves. At the site of the spots, the tissue dies, the fruiting bodies of the fungus form on it, it cracks and falls out.
Control measures. Fallen leaves affected by the disease are collected and burned in the fall. In the spring, at the beginning of sap flow, viburnum is treated with copper oxychloride or Bordeaux mixture.
Gray rot - in cold and rainy summers, large brown spots of unclear outlines appear on the leaves of the viburnum, which grow quickly, and the tissue in the middle dries and cracks. Berries affected by rot become brown, and the mycelium grows through them.
Control measures. In autumn, be sure to collect and burn fallen leaves and berries. To stop the spreading disease, treatment with Vectra is carried out.
Fruit rot - this disease causes the flowers, leaves, young shoots and fruits of viburnum to dry out. The first sign is small, dense, gray pads, which turn black and dry out as the disease progresses.
Control measures. Mummified berries must be removed from the plant and from under the bush. When the first signs of disease are detected, viburnum is treated with Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride.
Trimming
The plant can be pruned both in autumn and early spring. Viburnum definitely needs sanitary and anti-aging pruning. In addition, pruning creates the volume of the plant. Pruning in early spring each year limits the size of the bush and increases light in the canopy. Weak, diseased branches are also removed.
Next, old 7-9 year old branches that have already bear fruit are cut out. Only strong, annual ones are left. Bushes with weak flowering are cut off completely. Stumps remain, protruding 15-20 cm above the ground. Dormant buds give rise to young shoots and the viburnum is restored very soon.
When a bush is not pruned for a long time, it thickens and loses its beauty. Anti-aging pruning is done after the buds awaken. Old branches are trimmed or sawed out with pruning shears, leaving small stumps five centimeters long. Young shoots appear from the stumps. Over the summer, weak branches are removed from the shoots.
An overgrown viburnum bush that requires pruning
Viburnum pests and their control
Viburnum also has a lot of pests, and you need to know as much as possible about them, because they can cause serious trouble for viburnum. The most dangerous pests of viburnum are:
The viburnum leaf beetle is a light brown beetle up to 6 mm long, the larvae of which, emerging from the ground in early May, eat viburnum leaves, leaving only veins. If there are many larvae and they do not have enough leaves, they attack young shoots. Viburnum fruits also suffer from leaf beetles. Female beetles lay eggs at the tops of shoots, gnawing holes in them for this purpose. The activity of the leaf beetle leads to a decrease in the winter hardiness of viburnum and loss of yield.
Control measures. If you find egg-laying on the tops of the shoots, cut off this part of the shoot and treat the bushes with Karbofos or Fufanon;
Black leafroll aphid - any aphid - is a harmful insect, a carrier of incurable diseases, so it should not be allowed to appear in the garden. Aphids suck the juice from the leaves and curl them. The leaves turn brown, become deformed, dry out, and the shoots stop developing.
Control measures. When aphids appear, treat viburnum with Fufanon or Karbofos, cut off and burn aphid colonies at the ends of the shoots;
Viburnum leaf roller - this dark gray or olive caterpillar eats buds, then leaves, having first entangled them in a web and crumpled them. With mass reproduction, the leaf roller can greatly affect the amount of harvest.
Control measures. Collect and burn caterpillar nests. Before the buds open, treat the viburnum with Nitrafen, dissolving 250 g of the drug paste in 10 liters of water, and between the beginning of the buds and the appearance of the bud, spray the plant with a ten percent solution of Karbofos;
Viburnum and honeysuckle gall midges - the larvae of these pests overwinter in the soil layer. Adults emerge when buds form on the viburnum and lay eggs in them. The larvae feed on the buds, causing them to become ugly, swollen, red and not open.
Control measures. In early spring and late autumn, loosen the soil in the tree trunk circles, and before flowering, treat the viburnum with a ten percent Karbofos solution;
Green lobed moth - damages not only viburnum, but also plants such as buckthorn and lilac. This is a yellow-green caterpillar that chews out flower ovaries.
Control measures. You need to fight it in the same way as with gall midges.
Advantages of autumn planting and transplanting into open ground
It is known that viburnum can be planted both in spring (late April - early May) and in autumn (September). According to experienced gardeners, planting a plant in the fall has some advantages:
- It is better to plant in early September so that the seedlings have time to take root;
- in the fall the soil around the plant will settle and become dense;
- in autumn there is no intense heat, therefore, there is no need for frequent watering;
- a seedling planted in the fall vegetates in the spring, as the roots develop, and the bud sleeps at this time, thanks to this the young shoots develop more actively;
- In the spring there is a lot to do in the garden and vegetable garden, so in the fall, when you have more free time, you can start planting viburnum.
Types and varieties of viburnum
As we wrote at the beginning of the article, there are many types of viburnum. Among them there are those that are grown in culture, and there are species that grow only in the wild. We offer you an introduction to some of the most sought-after species.
Viburnum opulus (Viburnum opulus)
Or red viburnum - a plant that has long been firmly established in culture as a fruit and ornamental plant. This is a shrub up to 4 m high, the stems of which are covered with fissured brown bark. The leaves of the plant are large, lobed, light green in spring, bright green in summer and reddish in autumn. Corymbose inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter consist of small white flowers. The fruits of Viburnum viburnum are red juicy edible drupes, round or elliptical in shape, with a large flat stone and red juice.
Red viburnum has several decorative forms: nanum (dwarf plants up to 1 m high), roseum (better known as Boule de neige), compactum (plants 1 to 2 m high), aureum (shrub with bright yellow flowers in spring leaves that turn light green by summer), variegata (a bush up to 4.5 m high with marble-white leaves) and xanthocarpum (a low bush with yellow leaves and orange fruits).
Of the fruit varieties of Viburnum, the following have proven themselves well:
- Pomegranate bracelet is a productive late-ripening variety, resistant to aphids, with dark burgundy oval berries with a dense shell, weighing up to 1 g, with a pleasant, slightly bitter taste. The bush is spreading, medium-height;
- Shukshinskaya - named after the writer, director, actor Vasily Shukshin, a productive variety of medium ripening with bright red spherical fruits of good taste, weighing up to half a gram;
- Maria is a disease-resistant variety with compact clusters of round, light red berries, sweet and sour fruits with slight astringency. The bush is vigorous, the leaves turn gold and crimson in autumn;
- Taiga rubies are a very productive variety of medium ripening, not resistant to leaf-eating pests, with dark red round fruits of a sweet and sour taste with a slight bitterness. The autumn foliage of plants of this variety is purple;
- Zholobovskaya is a variety of universal use with a compact bush and slightly elongated fruits with juicy, slightly bitter, almost sweet pulp. The leaves turn burgundy in autumn;
- Elixir is a slightly spreading bush up to 3 m high with bright burgundy round fruits weighing up to 1 g with a sweet and sour taste and moderate bitterness. The variety is productive, resistant to aphids;
- Vigorovskaya is a bush up to 3 m high, the fruits are bright red, spherical, weighing up to half a gram. The taste of the fruit is bitter-sour. The variety is productive;
Such fruit varieties of viburnum as Ulgen, Uralskaya sweet, Souzga, Ryabinushka, Sunset, Zarnitsa, Red Bunch and others are also popular among gardeners.
Viburnum rhytidophyllum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum)
It grows wild in Western and Central China. In cultivation, it is widely used in gardens and parks in the middle zone due to its high frost resistance. In addition, this plant is evergreen with original foliage. Viburnum reaches a height of 3 m, it has straight, densely felted shoots, thick, bare, shiny wrinkled leaves, netted and fleecy on the underside of the plate. The leaves are about 20 cm long. Yellowish-gray flowers are collected in apical corymbose inflorescences up to 20 cm in diameter. The fruits are small - up to 8 mm in diameter, ovoid, shiny, at first red, and as they ripen they become black.
This type of viburnum is shade-tolerant, unpretentious to the soil, winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Looks great in small groups and in single plantings. The most famous variety of this species is Superb.
Viburnum laurel (Viburnum tinus)
Or evergreen viburnum is naturally widespread in the Mediterranean. This is an evergreen shrub up to 3 m high with bare or patchy pubescent young shoots and brown annual growths. The leaves of this species attract attention: elliptical in shape, leathery, entire, bright green and shiny on the upper side, and lighter on the lower side and pubescent along the veins. White-pink fragrant flowers are collected in umbrella-shaped panicles with a diameter of up to 10 cm. The fruits are spherical, dryish, ovoid, blue-black.
The species is heat-loving and drought-resistant, loves good lighting, is undemanding to the soil, and can withstand temperatures down to -15 ºC in winter. In ornamental gardening it is used for hedges and as solo plants. It has several decorative forms: shiny, purple, upright and variegated.
Viburnum lantana (Viburnum lantana)
One of the most famous cultivated species of viburnum, which grows in the wild in Central and Southern Europe, North Africa, the North Caucasus and Asia Minor and is a light-loving mesophyte. This species is not at all similar to the common viburnum. Viburnum gordovina is a bush up to 5 m high with a dense, dense compact crown. Its leaves and shoots are densely covered with star-shaped white hairs. Beautiful wrinkled leaves up to 18 cm long are dense to the touch, wide, dark green on top and grayish-felt underneath. The corymbose inflorescences consist of small white-cream flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter. The fruits of this species are red drupes, darkening as they ripen until they turn into completely black berries.
Viburnum gourdovina is one of the most beautiful ornamental shrubs, while it is undemanding to the soil, frost-resistant, shade-tolerant, drought-resistant, does not suffer from urban pollution, and decorates the garden with red-pink leaves and black shiny berries until winter. The species has decorative forms, variegated and wrinkled. The most famous of the varieties is Aureum - viburnum with oval leaves of golden color on the upper side and silver-felt leaves on the bottom.
In addition to those described, the following types of viburnum are also known: David, forked, Buryat or black, serrated. Canadian, Carlsa, Mongolian, useful, recognized, Wright, Sargent, folded, plum-leaved, edible, three-lobed, bristly and others.
General characteristics and description of viburnum
A resident of the forest-steppe and steppe zones, viburnum prefers moist soils, grows along river banks, survives frosty winters well, the bush can reach 3 meters in height. Viburnum is a perennial shrub from the Adoxaceae genus, growing in Europe, Asia and some African countries.
The flexible branches of viburnum have long been used for weaving baskets; the first mention of the medicinal properties of the plant dates back to the 16th century. There are approximately 200 species of viburnum, a plant with large-toothed bright green or reddish leaves and large clusters of bright red (sometimes black or yellow berries), used as an ornamental shrub, thanks to its branched root system, planted to strengthen the soil on slopes, used as a living hedges
White or slightly pinkish inflorescences resemble balls with a diameter of more than 12 centimeters; flowering occurs in May.
The berries are very rich in vitamins (there is more vitamin C in viburnum than in lemon), they are used to lower blood pressure, improve digestion, eliminate swelling, and are used as a general tonic and medicine. Each berry contains a large flat seed, colored in the color of the fruit pulp. The bark and berries of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.
Properties of viburnum - harm and benefit
Beneficial features
The taste of viburnum berries does not attract everyone, but their usefulness and even healing properties are so great that for the sake of this it is worth neglecting the taste of the fruit. As a healing agent, viburnum can compete with berries such as currants, raspberries, blueberries, blueberries and elderberries. Viburnum pulp contains a large amount of vitamins C and P, organic acids, carotene, pectins and tannins.
Viburnum berries have a diuretic effect, so it is indicated for edema resulting from diseases of the urinary tract, kidneys and heart. The astringent and antiseptic substances contained in the fruits promote the healing of wounds and ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract. Viburnum berries are recommended to be consumed during the period when the patient is recovering from an illness - they help strengthen the immune system. In general, viburnum is successfully used:
- for kidney and liver diseases;
- for the treatment of tuberculosis;
- for problems with the gastrointestinal tract (colitis, gastritis, ulcers);
- with internal bleeding;
- for sclerosis and atherosclerosis;
- with diathesis;
- with cough and vascular spasms;
- for seizures and nervous disorders;
- as a sedative and antispasmodic.
Fresh and dried viburnum berries, infusion and decoction of them, berries boiled with honey, and juice from viburnum berries are used as a medicinal product. For example, viburnum berries boiled in honey are good for relieving coughs and treating diseases of the upper respiratory tract, as well as edema of cardiac origin.
Viburnum berries are also used as a cosmetic product to make nourishing and cleansing face masks. An infusion or decoction of viburnum berries is used to treat carbuncles, boils and eczema.
But not only viburnum berries have healing properties, but also its leaves, flowers and bark. An infusion of viburnum flowers treats gastritis with low acidity and relieves pain during menstruation. A decoction of flowers is good for gargling with sore throat and shrunken ligaments; it increases appetite, stops bleeding and increases sweating. A decoction of young shoots and buds of viburnum is used for diathesis, advanced scrofula, and also as an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent.
In industry, viburnum is used to make jams, preserves, mousses and drinks, as well as shampoos, tinctures, tonics, creams and facial cosmetics.
Contraindications
No matter how useful viburnum is, its use is not recommended for everyone. Since its juice contains an analogue of female hormones, viburnum berries should not be consumed during pregnancy, as this can cause the development of pathologies in the fetus and even provoke premature birth. At best, viburnum can cause an allergic reaction in pregnant women.
It is not recommended to abuse viburnum and preparations made from it for people with low blood pressure.
Viburnum is contraindicated for chronic kidney patients, as well as those suffering from high acidity of gastric juice.
Patients with thrombophlebitis, leukemia or other blood diseases should not eat viburnum. Viburnum is harmful to those suffering from gout, arthritis and urolithiasis.
If you have no contraindications, keep in mind that you can only eat red viburnum berries; black fruits can be poisonous.
