Viburnum Le Bois Marquis

The Viburnum 'Le Bois Marquis' is a recent variety of viburnum, found in France, at the Le Bois Marquis arboretum, and awarded at Courson in 2007 for its interesting ornamental qualities throughout the year. This beautiful bush, semi-evergreen in cold climates, develops visible red wood in winter and bears young bronze leaves in spring, which take on a superb coppery red colour in autumn and winter. Its spring flowers, in white-pink clusters, are followed by red berries that turn black when ripe. This dense variety well-branched from the base is an excellent bush that also adapts very well to cultivation in large pots.

The Viburnum 'Le Bois Marquis' is a hybrid viburnum belonging to the caprifoliaceae family. It is a bush with an upright and rounded habit, growing densely and highly branched from the base. It has a fast growth rate and will reach about 2.50m (8ft) in height and 2m (7ft) in width at maturity. Its foliage is evergreen, semi-evergreen below -15°C, changing colour throughout the seasons. Its oval and lanceolate leaves are glossy, tinted bronze in spring, and red-copper to purple in autumn. The flowering takes place in late spring, in the form of small clusters of white flowers tinged with red, which will produce black fruits when ripe, highly appreciated by birds in winter. This Virburnum is easy to maintain. Pruning should be avoided.

This easy-to-grow bush is content with ordinary garden soil if not too dry. It will fit well in a natural hedge, which it will help structure, along with other viburnums cultivated for their fragrance (Viburnum x bodnantense or V. fragrans) or for their autumn foliage (Viburnum sargentii Onondaga or V. tomentosum). In flower beds, it can be associated with tulips. Its dense and well-maintained habit and presence throughout the year, allow it to contribute to the decoration of the terrace, in a large pot with grasses, dwarf conifers, or ground cover plants.