Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Molly Schroeder

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Molly Schroeder' is a recent and delightful Japanese bush, forming a beautiful deciduous shrub with a tiered habit in a Japanese style, of real elegance. It stands out for its long pink flowering, a rare colour in viburnums, especially since this shade appears as soon as the flat inflorescences open, reminiscent of certain hydrangeas, and persists until the fruits form. A foliage of bright green, reminiscent of hazelnut trees, further enhances the refinement of this plant of great beauty, yet easy to acclimatize in any good garden soil.

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum is a bush of the Caprifoliaceae family native to China and Japan. 'Molly Schroeder' stands out mainly for its pink flowering and less vigorous growth. With a horizontal branching, the plant has a characteristic tiered habit, its silhouette both structured and light making it attractive all year round, even in winter. It will reach a height of about 2m (6ft 7in) 40cm (15.7in) and a spread of 1m (3ft 4in) 50cm (19.7in) at maturity, with a rather slow growth. The flowering occurs in May and continues until June. The inflorescences in broad flat cymes of 10cm (3.9in) develop at the end of the branches. They are composed of a peripheral crown of well-developed sterile flowers, with elliptical petals in a soft pink colour veined with cream, surrounding small fertile flowers shaped like pink buds and then turning white. Once pollinated, the flowers turn into small red then black berries when ripe. The leaves, deciduous, measure 5 to 10cm (2 to 3.9in) long, are oval-shaped, tapered, strongly veined, with regularly dentate edges. Their colour is a bright and satin green on the upper side, with the underside being more pubescent. The foliage takes on beautiful colours in autumn, ranging from dark red burgundy to purplish.

This Viburnum 'Molly Schroeder' can be planted in a flower shrub border, in the company of a Kolkwitzia amabilis, with its beautiful spring pink flowering, the tree of clergé (Clerodendrum trichotomum), a Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea' whose purple foliage will enhance its pink inflorescences. It can also be associated with compact Photinias, Elaeagnus, lilacs or mock oranges, camellias or hydrangeas in non-calcareous soil, the choice is vast. It also deserves to be placed in isolation in a small garden or in the center of a low perennial and grass border, because of its beautiful presence in winter.