Walter's Viburnum

Walter's Viburnum is a dense shrub or small tree native to Florida and the coastal plain of the Southeast, known botanically as Viburnum obovatum. Small dark green leaves hold through mild winters, the twiggy branches shear cleanly into hedges, and clusters of tiny white flowers cover the plant in late winter and early spring. Grow it in full sun to partial shade in USDA zones 7 through 10. It usually reaches 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, sometimes taller, and spreads by underground stems into thickets unless suckers are cut out, while dwarf selections such as 'Densa' stay much smaller. Acidic sandy soil suits it best, it accepts seasonally wet ground, and it handles long dry spells once established, though it has little tolerance for salt. Red drupes ripen to black in late summer and fall, flowers feed early pollinators, and the plant hosts spring azure larvae.