Viburnum tinus Eve Price

The Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price' is a cultivar of the laurel tin that stands out from the other species due to its more colourful pink flowering and naturally very dense vegetation. It is a robust evergreen bush that forms its small umbels from autumn, in the form of decorative pink flower buds. The flowers bloom early to late in winter depending on the regions and climate. In the garden, it is an attractive plant all year round, appreciated by all the small fauna, without worry for the gardener. As it tolerates pruning perfectly, the Viburnum tinus is perfect for creating a privacy or windbreak hedge, whether it is left untrimmed or trimmed. Finally, it adapts to all exposures, even shade, and to all soil types, even very chalky and dry soils in summer.

The 'Eve Price' laurel tin belongs to the caprifoliaceae or adoxaceae family according to classifications. The species Viburnum tinus is native to the Mediterranean basin, and found in undergrowth, on forest edges, in scrub vegetation and maquis. It is a relatively cold-resistant evergreen bush (down to -15°C (5 °F) for short periods for an adult subject), which adapts to a wide range of soils as long as they are not too wet or waterlogged in winter. Its fruits are eaten by birds who 'sow' the plant under the trees they use as perches: it is typically an undergrowth shrub that perfectly accommodates the root competition of other trees. Many birds like to nest in its vegetation, which provides them with shelter and cover.

The Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price' has a moderately fast growth rate, about 30 cm (11.8 in) per year, depending on the growing conditions. It forms a bushy, rather upright shrub, branched from the base. It will reach about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in all directions in the long term, sometimes more in rich and moist soil. Its branches bear simple, elliptical leaves, pointed at their tips, undulated and velvety at the edges, 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) long and 3.5 to 4.5 cm (1.4 to 1.8 in) wide. They are leathery in texture and slightly shiny. Flowering often begins in autumn, depending on the regions. At the ends of branches that are one year old or older, inflorescences form in cymes that resemble small round and slightly convex bouquets, 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) in diameter. They are densely filled with pink flower buds, which remain decorative throughout the winter. From February to April depending on the climate, these buds open up into small flowers with 5 white-pink petals. This slightly fragrant flowering is highly visited by bees. After pollination, the flowers give way to ovoid berries measuring 5 to 6 mm (0.2 to 0.2 in) long, with a metallic blue-black colour, containing a single seed. In the laurel tin, the seeds must be freed from their pulp in order to germinate: this step occurs naturally in the digestive system of birds.

Truly easy to grow, covered with leaves all year round, the 'Eve Price' laurel tin only fears very harsh winters, especially when it is young and planted in very damp soil. As it tolerates sea spray, it can easily be grown near to the sea. Like Elaeagnus ebbingei, photinias, strawberry trees, myrtles and Rhamnus alaternus Argenteovariegata, it is perfect for creating the persistent structure of the garden, especially in warm and dry regions where it thrives. Very tolerant of shade and root competition, it allows for the creation of undergrowth. In a free hedge, it can also be associated with cotinus and deciduous euonymus with superb autumnal colours. Also cultivate this laurel tin in a large container. As it perfectly tolerates repeated pruning, it can be used in topiary art and sculpted into original shapes in its vegetation. This versatile bush is valuable for hiding from view and is highly sought after in small gardens and on terraces.