Why plant Audubon® Native Arrowwood Viburnum?
A living bird feeder! Arrowwood Viburnum is a birdfeeder you’ll never have to clean or refill. In late spring, this welcoming Accent produces flat clusters of creamy white flowers that attract native pollinators, such as green metallic bees, miner bees, and hoverflies. When their work is done, the bounty appears—navy blue berries that last until mid-fall (if the birds don’t strip them first). Bluebirds, robins, cardinals, grosbeaks, flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings, vireos, and mockingbirds are a few of the fruit’s biggest fans. The berries provide quality nutrition, too! One study found that they contain 48% fat, which for birds means high-energy sustenance.
Arrowwood Viburnum is a wide-ranging native Accent that is present in most eastern states, from Maine to Florida and west to Iowa and Texas. It’s a variable species that grows in a variety of habitats, but everywhere it appears, it’s a blessing for birds. Besides the nutritious fruits, Arrowwood Viburnum offers birds protein-packed caterpillars in the form of moth larvae such as the green marvel, brown scoopwing, pink prominent, and horrid zale. (Look, too, for the dainty spring azure butterfly, which lays its eggs on the buds and flowers.) Arrowwood Viburnum’s dense growth also makes it appealing to thicket-dwelling birds as nesting habitat.
How to use Audubon® Native Arrowwood Viburnum in the landscape?
Arrowwood Viburnum’s fall color will be another feature you’ll look forward to seeing each year. The pretty, toothed green leaves start turning a rich burgundy-red in mid-fall, and the color lasts a long time.
How To Plant Audubon® Native Arrowwood Viburnum
Site Arrowwood Viburnum in full sun for the greatest flower and fruit production. It blooms less in part shade but will grow happily there as well. It prefers rich soil, though this adaptable plant will accept most well-drained sites without complaint. A destructive insect called the Viburnum leaf beetle has become a problem in some areas, and Arrowwood Viburnum is particularly vulnerable to it. It may be a good idea to check with your local extension service about the prevalence of the pest in your area before planting this species.
How To Water
Provide water on a weekly basis and mulch with wood chips, bark, or pine straw to conserve moisture and moderate temperatures in the root zone.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established.
How To Prune
Prune your Viburnum shortly after the flowers fade to avoid sacrificing the next year’s blooms.