U.S. Native Viburnums And Viburnum Beetle Susceptibility

photo -Arrowwood viburnum in late summer

A trip to Carolina Native Plants Nursery in Burnsville, NC gave me this idea to list those viburnums which are U.S. natives (USDA Hardiness zones 6 and 7). All are worthy for planting in your landscape in full sun except where noted. All attract birds and other wildlife to your property.
  • Mapleleaf vibrnum (V. acerifolium) – prefers dry shade sites
  • Witherod viburnum (V. cassinoides)
  • Arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum) – hardy north into zone 3
  • Sheepberry, nannyberry (V. lentago) -hardy north to zone 3
  • Smooth witherod viburnum (V. nudum)- superior cultivar ‘Winterthur’
  • Small viburnum (V. obovatum)
  • Black haw viburnum (V. prunifolium) -in part shade areas
  • Rusty blackhaw (V. rufidulum)
  • American cranberrybush (V. trilobum)- try cultivar ‘Wentworth’, which is hardy to zone 2

Superior cultivars of arrowwood viburnum is currently available and are utilized as a 5-7 foot deciduous screen or hedge. For woodland plantings blackhaw and maple-leaf viburnums are at home in shady areas.

According to Cornell University entomologists, most native viburnums are susceptible to viburnum beetles. This serious pest can be managed by timely applications of horticultural oils, spinosad (organic pesticide), and insecticidal soaps in late April and early May, targeting hatching eggs and young larvae which feed on the new tender foliage. Insecticides containing pyrethrins are effective, but also will kill beneficial insects in the garden.

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