There’s a reason why you’ll often find David’s viburnum planted in big-box store parking lots. Regularly dismissed as too common, this versatile and resilient evergreen shrub can adapt to nearly any environment, is maintenance-free, and almost always looks good. No, it’s not the newest plant out there, but it is a highly underappreciated one that deserves much more attention.
As a designer and avid gardener, I’ve grown to see this plain Jane—or in this case, plain David—as anything but plain. It’s become a functional workhorse that never lets me down. I mostly use it to create structural bones in landscapes, planting multiple shrubs in ribbons, which act like a four-season skeletal framework. Growing close to 6 feet tall and wide with evergreen glossy leaves, this viburnum is best used as a backdrop plant or throughout the garden for nonstop interest. With a little trimming, it can be kept to a smaller size or left to reach its full potential if you’d like a nice privacy hedge.
Its early-spring white umbel blooms add seasonal color and attract pollinators. The flowers are followed by iridescent purple berries—a huge wildlife perk. I count on the glossy, blue-green, leathery leaves to reflect light in the gray winter months. This foliage is also tough enough to handle some serious heat throughout the dry summer months as well as cold winter temperatures. A bonus is that the newly emerging growth of David’s viburnum is a beautiful copper hue.
No pests will bother with this plant, and it can survive on only occasional watering once it is established. Whether you see it as plain or common, David’s viburnum certainly has its charms and deserves a spot in any garden for its reliability and adaptability.
David’s viburnumViburnum davidii Zones: 7–9b Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil Native range: Western China |
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Stacie Crooks is a landscape designer in Seattle and also a contributing editor.
Illustration by Elara Tanguy