Winter viburnums
It’s been an odd winter for viburnums. My big, old ‘Dawn’ opened its first super-scented flowers late in October. Alongside, Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ opened and the birds set to work stripping off its flowers. The way to protect the viburnum, it seems, is to plant a mahonia. Or get your next-door-neighbour to plant one!
‘Dawn’ is the long-time-favourite deciduous variety, the one we see everywhere, with its faintly blushed white flowers. It’s a fine plant. But where there’s an opportunity to plant a variety that’s not an old favourite, well, I’ll usually take it. Step forward ‘Charles Lamont’, which has more noticeably pink flowers in a purer shade – and the rarely seen ‘Deben’ which, with white flowers opening from pink buds, is my favourite.
And then…
