Viburnum plicatum 'PINK BEAUTY'

Japanese snowball bush is an architectural shrub from China and Japan with nearly 100% horizontal, tiered branches and profusion of usually white flowers in late spring. Its habit is not only typical and used mostly in Japanese style gardens, but the shrub will also make a showcase in any landscape given enough room around where its prostrate habit will exhibit its almost aristocratic elegance and beauty. I have seen many castle gardens which could easily accommodate it and in full bloom visitors never seem happy enough making enough of its pictures using any available device.

Pink Beauty is a rather special variety of snowball viburnum. Its flowers are composed in umbrella-shaped terminal panicles. Central flowers are tiny and fertile, and on the outskirts are borne large and showy sterile flowers. Those emerge pure snow-white and stay white for about two weeks. Then they turn pale pink just like some Japanese dogwoods. Blooming usually begins in about mid May and lasts for almost 4 weeks. Fertile flowers are followed by handsome fruit in late summer: small, almost transparent, glossy, oval berries (non-edible, not poisonous). They are rich red and mature to black later. Deciduous leaves are mid green, broadly elliptic, furrowed, and serrated at margins.

It grows slowly or medium fast in the same way as cornus controversa. First the plant makes vertical stems which in the next years develop lateral, horizontal layers of branches from the side buds along the stems. When the shrub is well-established it sets new vertical stems and the whole circle repeats while the existing branches increase their length, too. It is soon twice as wide as tall. Pink Beauty will eventually reach about 3m in height and a little more in spread.

Deciduous viburnums grow in any well-drained, medium fertile soil. They like full sun and even moisture but will also grow in part shade and can take temporary drought once established. Pruning is not required or even recommended as it could spoil the natural shape of the plant. Fully hardy to min. -34 °C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 01-12-2022