Viburnum lentago 'Pink Beauty'

This unusual plant can be found growing in a woody, slightly sheltered part of our gardens. Although the leaves are lush, glossy and look as though they should belong to an evergreen plant, Viburnum lentago 'Pink Beauty' is actually deciduous and has great autumn colour.

Native to the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, Viburnum lentago thrives in the U.K., with lovely green summer foliage which turns magnificent shades of plum purple and red in the autumn before falling.

Pretty clusters of white flowers appear in late spring or early summer, followed by blueish-black fruit on the classic species. The cultivar in our gardens and shown in the photos is 'Pink Beauty', which has the same flowers in late spring and masses of lovely, vibrant pink berries which turn black just before they fall.

The specimen in our gardens has reached a height of around 2 m (6 ft) after 8 or so years and has a compact, densely branching habit. It is lovely when planted as a standalone shrub and will do equally well when planted as part of a border.

Especially eye-catching are the colourful fruit and leaves on a cold morning in late October, covered in frost!

Further information about growing this reliable holly can be found on my website by clicking on the following link: Viburnum at Bluebell Nursery