May 17, 2007

The QUEEN OF MAY - MARIE IS IN BLOOM


Viburnum Plicatum ' Mariesii '

I call her Marie for short. She's my favorite Viburnum and is now in bloom. Even when she's not in bloom I love her arching graceful shape and the bronzy colored leaves in Fall.

When I made the final plans for my backyard patio garden, I placed Marie as the specimen focal point, even though she was very small and didn't make much of a statement. Having seen a photo of her at maturity I was taken with the arching, horizontal branching she had. So I was patient and it took several years before she came into her own. But what a beauty she is !

I was told by a colleague that there is an amazing Marie in Chicago that I just had to see. She is probably 15 years old and has an incredible framework showing the layering of blossoms, and after that, red berries that remain attractive for quite some time. I've gotta go see her.


Close up of Blossom

Viburnums are native shrubs and as such have few problems with disease, insects, etc. They will tolerate some shade but seem to thrive in sun if you keep them well watered.

P.S. to the above : Annie in Austin reminded me that Marie is not totally native, but has a Japanese parent and so I should clarify the "native " shrub label. Mariesii is a hybrid of a native American and a native Japanese.

9 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful shrub. It almost look like snow on it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don't say snow, Carol. Just kidding ! Thanks for dropping by.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is that your viburnum? It's so lovely, and I assume you trimmed it like that? Wow, love it. I have 3 Viburnums in my fornt yard and i THINK they are Viburnum Juddi. They are very fragrant. They've been trimmed like large balls (I just followed what the previous owners did) but now maybe I'll let them grow wild. Thanks! rosemarie

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is gorgeous, Carolyn, whether or not it reminds you of snow!

    I don't think it's one of the native species, however - yours seems to be from Japan. Viburnum trilobum, called Cranberry Viburnum, was a native that I used to grow in the Chicago area. As usual, the natives were difficult to find while the Asian varieties were easy... and that holds true here in Texas, too!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is, Rosemarie and no I didn't trim it like that, it's now it grows naturally. The Juddi is very fragrant and if you have the room don't trim it at all, let it grow into its natural shape.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Annie,

    Thanks. You can see why I love it so much ! It is derived, from what I'm told, by crossing the Japanese snowball with a native species, thus the blossoms are laceleaf and not round.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's obviously blended the two beautifully, Carolyn! I love that lace-effect!

    Annie

    ReplyDelete
  8. WOW! My Marie is a very small version right now... maybe one day she'll get to be as large and lovely as yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Kim,

    Thanks for stopping by, I believe it may be your first visit. I've enjoyed visiting your blog.

    As mentioned in my post, it took quite a few years before Marie reached it's full potential, so be patient and you will be rewarded.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...