Viburnum trilobum Spring Red Compact

The Viburnum trilobum 'Spring Red Compact' is a variety of attractive trilobed bush from spring to autumn. It is a compact selection with a lovely dense and regular ball-shaped habit, with foliage that changes from spring red to glossy green in summer before turning shades of orange, red, and burgundy in autumn. The bush produces charming white flowers in late spring, soon replaced by numerous red berries. These fruits are enjoyed by birds and humans who can consume them, like cranberries.

Native to Canada and the northern United States, Viburnum trilobum is a deciduous bush that is extremely cold and wet soil tolerant. It thrives in any good, not too dry, garden soil. Formerly classified in the Caprifoliaceae family, it now belongs to the Adoxaceae family. The 'Spring Red Compact' variety, selected in the United States, stands out for its more modest growth, remarkable spring foliage, and abundant fruit production.

The plant forms a rounded, densely branched bush, reaching an average height of 1.70m (6ft) with a spread of 1.10m (4ft). Its growth rate is moderate. The branches are grey and erect. The abundant flowering begins in late May or early June. The white flowers form flattened clusters called corymbs at the ends of the branches. The larger sterile flowers surround a small centre of fertile button-shaped flowers on each flower head. This flowering is followed by generous fruiting on the bush until winter. The shiny red fruits attract birds, brightening up the shortest and gloomiest days of the year. Its foliage is deciduous, with leaves divided into three lobes (hence the plant's name) that are 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) long and have strongly marked veins. They are a bright red when they first emerge in spring and gradually turn green by summer. From October, the foliage slowly takes on shades of orange, red, burgundy, and bordeaux.

Hardy well below -15°C (5°F), the 'Spring Red Compact' viburnum thrives in a sunny position to enhance its autumn colours in ordinary but not too dry soil. This beautiful bush can be used as a standalone specimen and in low-height mixed hedges or shrub borders. In this usage, it can be paired with other viburnums with staggered flowering times (V. lantana 'Mohican', V. x bodnantense 'Dawn', V. x burkwoodii), deciduous euonymus, or a Cotinus for autumnal flamboyance. This hardy plant creates a pleasant countryside atmosphere in the company of native plants such as medlar, hazel, hawthorn, Prunus mahaleb, blackthorn, and hedge honeysuckle.