Black Haw viburnum, Viburnum prunifolium, is a good choice for wildlife plantings. Black haw viburnum facts and information will help you choose, grow and care for your viburnum so that it gives you many years of pleasure. Other great viburnums include: Burkwood viburnum and arrowwood viburnum shrubs.
Black Haw Viburnum
Facts on Black Haw Viburnum Shrubs
Black haw viburnums grow in Zones 3-9 and is a deciduous tree or shrub with a rounded form. It grows 12-15’h x 8-12’ w. Black haw is often used as a specimen tree, in borders, or in mass plantings. This beautiful viburnum is known for its spring flowers, autumn fruits, fall color, and dense twigging, which makes it ideal as a wildlife have, a thorny barrier hedge, or a naturalized group planting.
Fall color of black haw viburnums varies from green, burgundy, red, orange, yellow, and purple. The creamy-white flowers bloom in early May. Fruits are a mixture of green, yellow, and red-pink, and changing to blue-black or blue-pink at maturity, and are attractive to wildlife. Companion plants include: dogwoods, mahonias, and bayberry.
Beautiful foliage and berries
Black haw viburnums prefer moist, well-drained soils of average fertility, but is adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, soils of various pH, permanently moist soils, and dry soils. It also prefers full sun, and tolerates moderate shade, heat, drought, and pollution.
Flowers of Black Haw
Care of Viburnum prunifolium Varieties
Keep the soil of black haw viburnum plants evenly moist throughout the growing season, especially the first 2-3 years after planting. Feed every spring with with plant food such as Miracle-Gro, or an organic equivalent. Remove a few older stems each year to keep plants from becoming overgrown and straggly looking.
Medicinal uses in the past included many gynecological uses, including cramps, miscarriages. More information on this topic may be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_prunifolium.
Other Related Species of V. Prunifolium
Nannyberry viburnum (V. Lentago) is a large, upright shrub also available as a single-stemmed tree. It is subject to powdery mildew, which does not kill plants.
Siebold Viburnum (V. Sieboldii) is hardy in Zones 4-8.it is usually grown as a large, multi-trunked shrub or small tree, reaching about 20’ high and 10-12’ wide, creating an upright silhouette with short, firm branches.
Planting Tips for Black Haw
- Black haw may be planted as a bare-root plant in early spring.
- Backfill around the root system with existing soil.
- Water in thoroughly to remove air pockets.