viburnum lucidum

Viburnum lucidum flower

Image - Elblogdelatabla.com

Viburnum lucidum is an ideal plant for create hedges of those that attract a lot of attention throughout the year: in spring its beautiful flowers will sprout from the plant making it look spectacular, in summer its fruits will ripen and in autumn its leaves will be dressed in their red dress. And in winter? In the colder months, the plant will continue to be covered with leaves, so, as you can see, it will hardly soil anything 🙂.

So if you are looking for a plant with which you can have a protected but beautiful garden, Viburnum lucidum is your best option.

Key features

Viburnum

Image - Telegraph.co.uk

The Viburnum lucidum, whose scientific name is Virbunum odoratissimum 'Lucidum' it is an evergreen shrub native to Southeast Asia. It has a medium-fast growth rate, reaching 2 meters in height. Its leaves are simple, with a serrated edge, pointed ends, and with very marked nerves. The flowers appear distributed in inflorescences, and they are very small, barely 5cm in diameter; then the fruits appear, which are bluish-grayish berries. And its trunk has smooth, grayish-brown bark.

Although it may seem otherwise, it resists mild frosts without problems, as long as the temperatures are above -7ºC. What's more, grows on all types of soils, including calcareous ones, so it can be had in an interesting variety of climates. But how do you take care of it?

Care

To have the glossy-leaved Durillo healthy and growing at ease for many years, it is essential to take into account a number of things, which are:

Location

Place your Viburnum lucidum in a very bright area, but without direct sun. It could be adapted in a sunny area where it was exposed to the sun's rays throughout the day, but its growth would not be optimal.

Irrigation

If we talk about irrigation, this will have to be frequent. It does not withstand drought very well, so it is important that it be watered 2-3 times a week in summer, and every five or six days the rest of the year.

Subscriber

The subscriber is very important for a correct development. Must be fertilize throughout the growing season, that is, from spring to late summer (you can also in autumn if you live in a mild climate), with a universal fertilizer for plants, or organic, such as guano, ground horn, worm castings, or horse manure.

Pruning

This is a plant that more than prunes, needs clamping to achieve a compact shape and a rounded or square cup according to the case. This task has to be done throughout the growing period, plus less every 20 days.

Transplant

The ideal time for both transplanting to a larger pot and planting it in the garden is in springafter the risk of frost has passed.

Pests and diseases of Viburnum lucidum

Viburnum lucidum plants

Image - Enderpeyzaj.com

This plant is not usually affected much by pests nor does it usually have major diseases. However, if the environment is very dry and warm it may have mealybugs, aphids y Red spider, which must be eliminated with specific insecticides, such as Chlorpyrifos for the first two and with an acaricide for the spider.

Regarding diseases, fungi of the genus Phytophthora They can affect you if the ground is too humid, so try to avoid watering excessively. These microorganisms are very difficult to eliminate, and when they are detected normally they have already caused damage to the plant, so it is best to prevent. In the event that you have overwatered, it is highly advisable to treat it with a fungicide, just in case.

How does it reproduce?

To have more copies of this magnificent plant you can do 3 things: take cuttings, layer or sow its seeds. Let's see how to proceed in each case:

Reproduction by cuttings

Viburnum lucidum reproduces very easily by softwood cuttings in spring. To do this, you have to:

  1. Cut the branches that interest you with pruning shears previously disinfected with pharmacy alcohol. It is advisable that they measure at least 30cm in length.
  2. Fill a pot with a very porous substrate, such as equal parts black peat and perlite, and water it.
  3. Moisten the base of the cuttings, and then impregnating it with rooting hormones powdered.
  4. Planting the cuttings in the pot.
  5. And finally, place it in an area protected from the sun direct.

Over the course of a month, keeping the soil always slightly damp, the cuttings will begin to root.

Reproduction by air layering

Get your durillo by simple layering. It's very easy 😉, you just have to bury the stem of a branch (without cutting it from the mother plant) in the ground, and place a tutor on it so that the leaves can continue to do their job. After a year or so, you can cut it down and plant it in a different location.

Reproduction by seeds

To get this plant by seeds, you must proceed to stratify them in the fridge for 4 months, sowing them in a tupperware with vermiculite moistened with water. It is important that you open it once a week so that the air is renewed, as this will prevent the appearance of fungi.

Viburnum lucidum uses

Viburnum lucidum

Image - Eneljardin.com

In gardening this incredible shrub is used mainly as protection hedges as well as windbreaks, but it is also used sometimes like tree, removing the lower branches to expose the trunk.

Is it toxic?

Durillo contains tannins and viburbin, which they are toxic. It is not advisable to take neither its leaves nor its fruits since the risk to run is very great: in small doses you can have stomach pain, diarrhea or even urinary bleeding; and if the dose is large, we could have breathing problems and / or cardiorespiratory arrest.

And so far the record of the Viburnum lucidum. What did you think of this bush? Did you know him?


4 comments, leave yours

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.

  1.   Maria Victoria said

    GRAZIE OTTIMO ARTICOLO, A DOMANDA I RAGNI ROSSI SONO GRANDI? NELL LAST ANNO MI SI E 'RIEMPITO IL GIARDINO DI RAGNI. ATTENDING RISPOSTA. A CORDIALE SALUTO.

  2.   Monica Sanchez said

    Hello Maria Victoria.
    I'm glad you like the article, and sorry for the delay in replying.
    If your plant has spider mites, you can treat it by mixing it with 2 garlic cloves, 2 chillies and half an onion. After straining it, dilute the mixture in 3 liters of water and spray the underside of the leaves for several days.

    In the event that it does not improve in a maximum of two weeks, use an miticide that you will find for sale in nurseries.

    A greeting.

  3.   Ana said

    Hello. I have a garden with a large row of viburnum lucidum. This summer there was a great hailstorm and a large part of the leaves have been damaged. How should I prune them? Do I have to remove all the leaves even if I have to cut the plant in half? Thanks

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Ana.
      Yes, it is the most recommended. I also advise you to treat them with a fungicide, to avoid the appearance of fungi.
      A greeting.