In the fall, I love to scout the farm for foliage that’s taken on an autumnal hue for seasonal arrangements. Viburnum, or Nanyberry is a perennial favorite.
After shelling out a small fortune for a couple bunches of blue-berried Viburnum from the floral wholesaler several years ago, I invested in a few of my own plants. Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ is my preferred variety, producing striking dark blue berries on red stems with glossy green foliage that turns a beautiful burgundy in September and October.
Even more fun, before the berries shift to dark blue, they’re start out bright pink! For the farmer-florist, it’s like getting two color palette options from one plant in the span of just a month.
Try combining the bright berries with blush or burgundy dahlias, or bright Celosias like Coral Reef or Rainbow Serbet.
In their dark blue phase, the berries are beautiful when combined with creamy neutrals like Cafe au Lait dahlias, Dawn Creek Peach or Golden Hour Zinnias, and Camelot Creme Foxglove, which sometimes throw another round of stems in the fall.
The blue berries are also lovely with burgundy or dark purple dahlias, Rubenza Cosmos, and all manner of green foliage or white-to-cream flowers.
👩🏽🌾 Viburnum are easy to grow, preferring full sunlight and loamy soil in USDA Zones 5-9. I successfully grow Viburnum in sandy soils by adding compost at planting time to improve nutrients and moisture retention, so don’t be afraid to try it in more clay or moisture-prone soils!
Full sun is important for reducing powdery mildew and for best fall foliage coloring.
Plants can be pruned lightly to shape either just after flowering, or in the fall. If you’re cutting from your plants frequently, you likely won’t need to do additional pruning.
Plants may send out suckers which you can remove to control spreading, or let grow for naturalizing.
Viburnum nudum is native to the eastern and southeastern United States and the berries provide food for migrating and overwintering songbirds. It is also deer resistant.
✂️ Harvest stems for flowers when flowers are just beginning to open. Harvest for foliage and/or berries when they’ve reached the desired color. Remove any unnecessary foliage and any that will fall below the water line. Let branches hydrate overnight to condition before arranging.
🏺 Vase life is 4 to 7 days for flowering or berried branches and are best suited to arranging and event design work.
Favorite Viburnum varieties to look for:
Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’
Viburnum nudum ‘Brandywine’
Viburnum lentago