Viburnum x juddii  (Judd Viburnum)

Michael’s Opinion

Viburnum x juddii was bred by William H. Judd at the Arnold Arboretum and is known as the Judd Viburnum.  This is a full, dense shrub with a medium growth rate and average texture that blends well into any garden.  However when the flowers emerge in the spring everything changes.  The spicy and fragrant inflorescences are not only attractive to bees, birds and butterflies but also human passersby.  This shrub would best be placed were everyone and everything can enjoy all of its attributes.

Botanical Information

Family:  Adoxaceae

Genus:  Viburnum

Species:  x juddii

Category:  Deciduous Shrub

Origin:  Bred by William H. Judd at the Arnold Arboretum, Boston MA.  Introduced 1920 named   1935.

 

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

RHS Hardiness Zone:

Temperature (°C):  -34°C - -6.7°C

Height:  1.8 – 2.4 m

Spread:  1.8 – 3.0 m

Growth Rate:  Medium

Flowering Period:  Late March – Early April

 

Description and Growing Information

General Description:  Viburnum x juddii is a full, round and dense deciduous shrub that is considered more refined than its parents Viburnum carlesii and Viburnum bitchiuense.  It appears the average shrub until the fragrant white flowers appear in the spring followed by showy red fruit that turn black in the autumn.

I.D. Characteristics:  Most recognized for its white flowers and their intense spicy fragrance in the spring.  The black drupes in the autumn are also a notable feature.

Shape:  Full, round

Landscape:  Can be utilized as a hedging or a screen as it denser than Viburnum carlesii.  However Viburnum x juddii is probably best used near walkways where its intense, spicy fragrance can be enjoyed by passersby.  The shrub may also be a benefit in wildlife gardens as it attracts butterflies, bees and birds.

Propagation:  Viburnum x juddii can be propagated from seed via a warm stratification at 20°C – 30°C for two months followed by a cold stratification at 5°C for two months.  Late June cuttings treated with 3000 ppm IBA, placed in a sand:peat moss mix and misted rooted 90% in 12 weeks.  The over-wintering of the cuttings can prove to be problematic.  Viburnum x juddii can be grafted to Viburnum lantana and Viburnum opulus.

Cultivation:  Full sun to partial shade is best.  A well-drained, fertile, acid to neutral soil is preferred however the shrub is adaptable and will tolerate drought conditions when mature.  Prune after flowering if no fruit display is desired, otherwise do not prune. 

Pests:  None serious.  Resistant to bacterial leaf spot and powdery mildew.

Notable Specimen:  A.M. Cuddy Garden, Strathroy ON.

Habitat:  Parents Viburnum carlesii and Viburnum bitchiuense are native to Korea and Japan growing in rich, loamy and fertile soil.  However the Judd Viburnum was bred in Boston, MA in the United States. 

Bark:  Thin, gray – brown not ornamental.

Bud:  Flower buds are gray, pubescent, 0.8 – 1.3 cm in diameter and at stem ends. The vegetative buds extend past the flower buds and are brown, pubescent, and 0.6 – 0.8 cm long.

Leaf:  Dark blue - green leaves are shorter then Viburnum carlesii at 4.4 – 6.5 cm in length and 2.5 – 4.4 cm in width.  The shape is ovate to elliptic with irregular toothed margins.  The leaf undersides sport thick star-like hairs and the petioles are short at 0.6 cm long. 

Flower:  White to pink – white and extremely fragrant.  The rounded cymes are 6.4 – 8.3 cm in size and bloom late March to early April.  The corollas sport five petals.

Fruit:  Showy, persistent and sparse.  Red berry-like drupes after flowering turn black in the autumn.

Colour:  Leaf colour ranges from velvety blue – green during the growing season to a brilliant burgundy – purple – red in the autumn.  Flower colour is white to pink – white.  After flowering, the drupes are red turning to black in the autumn.  Stem colour remains a gray – brown all year and slightly fissured.

Texture:  Average overall texture.  Blends well into any shrub border.

 

 

Work Cited

Dirr, Michael A.,  Manual of Woody Landscape Plants.  Champaign, Illinois:  Stipes Publishing L.L.C., 2009.  Print.

Dirr, Michael A. and Heuser, Charles W.,  The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation:  From seed to Tissue Culture.  Portland, Oregon:  Timber Press Inc.,  2006.  Print.