Viburnum tinus 'Lisspurp' SECRET VILLAGE laurustinus
Symbivit Tric (arbuscular)
Symbivit (arbuscular)Viburnum
The genus Viburnum includes around 150 species distributed across the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, from eastern Asia through the Caucasus and Europe to North and South America. Botanically, it is an exceptionally diverse group: it comprises both deciduous and evergreen shrubs, species with strongly fragrant flowers as well as those with only a faint scent or none at all, and others grown primarily for their (inedible) fruit. This diversity is reflected in common horticultural practice and several informal groups – the fragrant winter viburnums (V. farreri and V. × bodnantense), the fruiting viburnums (V. opulus, V. trilobum), the evergreen Asian viburnums (V. davidii, V. tinus, V. cinnamomifolium), the large-leaved ornamental viburnums (V. plicatum, V. japonicum), and many more, including hybrids that combine traits from several groups. The genus has been known since antiquity, and its Latin name Viburnum appears in the works of Roman authors around the turn of the era, such as Virgil and Pliny the Elder.
Laurustinus, Viburnum tinus, originates from the Mediterranean, both from its Eurasian coastline stretching from the Pyrenees to Turkey and from the northern parts of Africa, where it grows in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It is also native to the nearby islands, from the Canary Islands to the Balearics. It is admired for its striking metallic blue fruits, which are a botanical curiosity. Their colour is not produced by pigment but by structural colouration, created by light refracting on microscopic lipid globules. The species name tinus comes directly from antiquity, where it was used exclusively for this evergreen shrub. Pliny the Elder mentions it in his Naturalis Historia as a plant commonly grown near dwellings, making it one of the oldest documented ornamental shrubs of the Mediterranean. Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) formally described the species in 1753, although its cultural and botanical history is far older. In the wild it is most often found in maquis, the evergreen shrublands of the Mediterranean with poor soils, arid summers and intense heat, as well as on the moister lower slopes of hills. In these habitats it combines two seemingly contradictory traits: resilience to summer drought and a need for winter moisture. Unlike many other plants typical of such locations, it is neither spiny nor defensive in any other way and brings a sense of freshness even where little else survives.
Lisspurp is a laurustinus variety selected by Peter Catt from Liss Forest Nursery Ltd in England, and European patent No. 36963 was granted in 2014. It received a trade name SECRET VILLAGE. From all others it differs by new leaves that are purple red just like its flower buds and stems in winter. Its evergreen leaves are up 6-7 cm long, ovate, leathery but thinner than most evergreens, dark green, and with conspicuous venation. In autumn it produces a profusion of highly attractive terminal cymes composed of maroon flower buds which open into tiny, white, fragrant flowers already in November 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. Lisspurp exhibits a prolonged flowering period and it is not uncommon to see both flowers and fruit on the same plant. 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.
Last update 31-01-2021
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.
