Laurel-leaved viburnum

Synonyms: Viburnum tinus, Portuguese viburnum, evergreen viburnum, Laurustinus, Laurustinus Viburnum or Laurestine.

Laurustinus viburnum – a species of the genus Viburnum (Viburnum) of the family Adoxaceae (Adoxaceae). Native to the Mediterranean. Distributed throughout most of Europe, in Southwest Asia and North Africa. Lifespan more than 40 years.

It is a vigorously branching evergreen shrub or tree up to 3-4 m high and up to 3 m wide. Crown dense, rounded. Young shoots are greenish-yellow, later light brown, rigidly hairy; buds are also hairy. Bark is fissured, dark brown. Initially grows slowly, later faster.

Leaves leathery, ovate or lanceolate, 3-12 cm long and 1-7 cm wide, opposite, with an obtuse tip, with a cuneate or rounded base. Upper surface of the leaf is dark green, glabrous; the lower surface is usually also glabrous, light green. Petioles light green or purplish-brown, up to 2.5 cm long.

Flowers small, hermaphroditic, arranged in naked umbels, with a sweet scent. They grow at the ends of the current year's shoots. Inflorescences are located at the branch tips, reaching up to 9 cm in diameter; peduncles angular, light green. Corolla five-petaled, white, pinkish on the outside, divided almost halfway. Calyx lilac-colored, divided to 2/3 of its length. Stamens white, 5 in number. Pistil whitish, single. Flowers from March for 2-2.5 months. In regions with mild winters it may bloom again in the autumn-winter period.

Fruits reach 5 cm in diameter, dark blue with a metallic sheen, later becoming black. Stone five-ribbed. Oblong-globose. Ripen in August-November.

Chromosome number 2n = 36.

Hardiness: down to -12-13°C.

Cultivars: Eve Price, French White, Gwenllian; Forms: glossy (f. lucida A i t.), purple f. purpurea hort., upright f. stricta Lou d., variegated I. variegata hort.

Site: prefers loose fertile soils with a deep groundwater level. Can also grow on rocky slopes. The plant is sun-loving; it does not flower in shade.

Planting: soil mixture – leaf mold, turf soil, humus, sand (2:1:1:1)

Pruning: Easily pruned. Formative and sanitary pruning is carried out in May.

Care: starting from the second year fertilization can be applied: at the beginning of the growing season use nitrogen fertilizers, in mid-season nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers, in September-October ash or mineral potassium fertilizers.

Pests and diseases: viburnum leaf beetle, thrips, red spider mite, viburnum mealybug.

Propagation: propagated by seed, green cuttings in summer and by layering in autumn. Seeds of laurustinus do not require stratification. They are sown in their permanent place in autumn to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seed germination 80-90%. Some seeds may germinate after a year. With seed propagation the plant begins to flower at 6-8 years of age.

Uses: used in landscaping as a specimen plant, for creating background compositions in the garden, as trained shrubs and standard specimens, and also for creating hedges. Can be used as a container plant.