Viburnum tinus 'EVE PRICE' laurustinus

Eve Price laurustinus is truly a classic today. Its evergreen leaves are up to 8 cm long, ovate, leathery but thinner than most evergreens, medium to dark green, and with conspicuous venation. In autumn it produces a profusion of highly attractive terminal cymes composed of rosy pink flower buds which open into tiny, white, fragrant flowers in December in mild winters of zones 7 and higher. In colder areas they open in late winter or early spring and are followed by small, inedible but not poisonous, blue berries. Laurustinus is cultivated especially for its lush foliage and compact habit. It forms upright growing, dense shrubs and is often used in hedges in warmer zones. Stems turn purple red in autumn and winter.

This variety was discovered by Dr. Chris Clennet at Wakehurst Place (West Essex, about 75 km south of London) in 1960 who worked for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew for 30 years until 2017. He showed the plant to the owner of the manor, Sir Henry Philip Price (1877-1963) who was a keen, amateur botanist. Sir Price made his money as a businessman and started as a tailor who in early 20th century made suit available to men who had not been able to afford it before. A part of his wealth was devoted to promotion of botany and he left the manor to Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew after is death in 1963. Two years before his death he named this laurustinus after his second wife Eve Mary Dickson, and in the same year (1961) the plant received AGM award by the Royal Horticultural Society of England (RHS).

Now, let’s explore its hardiness. In Central Europe, Viburnum tinus has a reputation for being a tender Mediterranean shrub yet experience from growing it since 2004 shows the opposite. It survived the extreme winter of 2006/2007, when temperatures dropped to around minus 27 °C, freezing back to the ground but reliably resprouting from its undamaged base. The leaves are sensitive to severe frost below minus 17 °C only when combined with direct winter sun, so the safest option is to plant it in a position sheltered from early morning light or among other shrubs that provide natural protection. Even without this, the worst that can happen is damage to the upper parts of the branches, which can simply be removed in spring. The root system is hardy to approximately minus 27 °C, meaning that in colder regions it can be grown almost like a perennial, resprouting from the base and forming low, very dense shrubs whenever the upper growth is damaged.
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Viburnum tinus is remarkably healthy in temperate climates and is not usually troubled by pests or diseases. It grows best in fertile, humus-rich and well-drained soil but tolerates much poorer sites as long as they are not waterlogged. It is not demanding regarding pH, although slightly acidic soil enhances the colour of the foliage. It thrives in full sun or partial shade, with full sun giving the best results, and once established it is highly tolerant of prolonged summer drought. In dry winters it benefits from a single deep watering once a month. It does not require shaping, as it naturally maintains a compact habit, but it tolerates any form of pruning. The best time is spring after flowering, when the shape can be refined or spent flower heads shortened, though this will remove the autumn fruit display. Mulching in winter helps protect the roots from temperature fluctuations, and young plants can be sheltered with evergreen boughs. In regions with long periods of frost, winter shade prevents the leaves from being scorched by early morning sun. Fully (stem) hardy to -17 °C (zone 7), and root-hardy down to even -27 °C (USDA zone 5b) on a protected site.

Last update 24-10-2009; 30-01-2021