Viburnums

Flowering Shrubs for Every Season

With their abundance of flower, handsome foliage, robust constitution, and frequently stunning fruits, viburnums are among the most beautiful and versatile hardy shrubs available to gardeners. Yet despite these outstanding qualities, there has never been an entire volume devoted to them – until now. In this definitive, comprehensive, generously illustrated guide, internationally renowned woody plant expert Michael Dirr provides a wealth of information about every species and cultivar worthy of horticultural consideration. Dirr details each plant's height, spread, foliage, habit, floral characteristics, fruits, special traits such as fragrance or attractive bark, hardiness, origin, cultural needs, and overall garden appeal. These finely judged appraisals make it easy for the gardener or designer to choose the right plant for the right situation.

Media reviews of this book:

"A complete and informative monograph on one of the most used and beloved genera of garden shrubs, written in a concise and incredibly well researched format."

—Andrew Bunting, American Gardener, May/June 2008

"A must-have for the viburnum geek, and I know there are plenty out there."

—Elizabeth Licata, Garden Rant, November 14, 2007

"This book was worth waiting for. The photos and illustrations are beautiful and the narrative thoughtful. It's like having one of the country's top horticulture professors right in the living room."

—Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, October 27, 2007

"I'm thinking a lot about viburnums these days. ... It comes to mind because Dirr is once more championing a plant that serves so many roles and yet remains underused and undervalued."

—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, October 18, 2007

"When you pick up Michael Dirr's book you'll wonder why there aren't more books on these most garden-worthy shrubs. At least if there's just a single book devoted to viburnums, it's brand new and written by a renowned plantsman."

—Valerie Easton, Seattle Times, October 9, 2007

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Customer reviews of this book:

"Dr. Dirr has done it again! He combines solid research with practical aspects, fine writing, and good humor."

—Joanne H. from Clarksville, Tennessee, January 28, 2008

"The proverbial 'instant classic'."

—David B. from Granville, Ohio, November 12, 2007

"A gorgeous book, and a great addition to my library. Mr. Dirr, you are the best!"

—Ruth S. from Fort Worth, Texas, October 25, 2007

"The most comprehensive and trustworthy book on viburnums I have used!"

—Venetia K. from Arlington, Massachusetts, October 24, 2007

"Excellent work! It lives up to Dirr's previous works."

—Robert P. from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, October 24, 2007

An excerpt from this book:

Seldom recognized as a viburnum because of the maple-shaped leaves, this wide ranging, colonizing, suckering, native species dwells on the forest floor, often in the suffocating shade of noble trees. Definitively, it will never ascend to the garden acceptance and use of V. carlesii and V. dentatum, but it does have a niche in naturalized landscapes. The fall color is exceptional — in shades of fluorescent pink and rose-red to grape-juice purple-red — and effective for an extended period in October–November. I have experienced V. acerifolium in the wild from Maine to Indiana to Georgia, always as a spreading-colonizing shrub, 2 to 3 (occasionally 4 to 6) feet high, usually inhabiting slopes and hillsides ...

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