Zone 7a viburnum question

Does anybody in 7a have reliably evergreen viburnums? I already have davidii and pragense. Been reading on the net abt cinnamomifolium, tinus, bracteatum and others but, as usual, info abt "evergreen-ness" in 7a varies. Would appreciate hearing abt your experiences with these or other evergreen viburnums in 7a.
Thanks,
Sherry

Sherry:

You can get a whole heap of good knowledge and commentary for your area in the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael Dirr of UGA.

Then I'll give a big old disclaimer from the frigid wastelands of central KY, though we haven't had a winter colder than about -2ºF since 1994.

I won't vouch for anything about evergreen-ness for GA, but I'd venture that you'll get evergreen-ness from most Viburnum that you mentioned (except Viburnum bracteatum) plus the following:

Viburnum x rhytidophylloides and clones
Viburnum rhytidophyllum and clones
Viburnum x burkwoodii and clones
Viburnum x 'Conoy'
Viburnum x 'Chesapeake'
Viburnum x 'Eskimo'

Wow!!! What a great book!! Too pricey for me tho, even the used ones.

However, I was able to read pages of the book at Amazon.com. Tedious but informative altho you can't see all the pages of course. I'm surprised they let you see as many as they do. I guess it's a teaser to whet your appetite for the book.

Anyway, got some info on the last 3 you mentioned. He really likes "Conoy" for zone 7 and 8, but not "Chesapeake". Couldn't get to all the info on "Eskimo" but what I read sounded like it would be evergreen here.

Thanks for the lead on the book. I'll probably go back and look up some others in it. I'd like to find an evergreen cultivar that is also very fragrant. I don't ask for much, do I? LOL!
Sherry

Try checking a college bookstore, where they teach horticulture courses. I bet they get a ton returned at the end of semesters when students are looking for cash.

Especially landscape architecture students.....wait, no, they often need the book for several more semesters (when they have to repeatedly take the class since they never study enough to pass the first time).

The Viburnum x burkwoodii clones are all quite fragrant, from the Viburnum carlesii parentage. None of the others I listed are known for fragrance. I think Viburnum japonicum is supposed to be evergreen/fragrant, though not common in production. Can't grow that one here.

The best plant? 'Mohawk', a Viburnum x burkwoodii clone, except that it just gets really great fragrance, foliage, form, fruit, and fall color (but isn't evergreen).

I may need 1 or 2 deciduous ones as well. altho I already have 3, all carlcephalums. Heavenly in bloom!!

Sherry, be very careful. We already have two formerly sane (?) people on this forum who have terminal Viburnumitis. One of them goes around flashing his knees all day, and the other collects botanical cats and liquor and speaks in tongues. We don't want to lose any more good folks to this debilitating mental affliction.

Guy S.

I'm afraid I'm already infected! I'd like a whole yardfull of them!
Sherry

Pay no attention to the big galoot behind the Quercus curtain. He's just "nuts".

I've seen Viburnum japonicum in the DFW area and out in California and it's probably the most impressive Viburnum I've seen. It's thick glossy foliage is spectacular, giving the shrub a very tropical lush look to it. Too bad it's not more winter hardy.

I heard last night that the Saphire Viburnum Borer is headed this way from Asia. They say it was accidentally imported into Scott County, Kentucky by some rabid Viburnum collector down there. Supposedly it can move 100 miles per week and can take down a yardfull of Viburnums in 5 minutes. Based upon distance, I figure that gives me about a month before my vast collection of Viburnums bites the dust . . . oh, well, they're just lousy Viburnums -- it's not like they're anything important, like oaks!

Guy S.

If you want evergreen and fragrant look at Osmanthus. Check Dirr out on those. I don't have any but they're on my wish list.

Well in 8b they grow great. Drought, bugs, fungus, hurricanes, end of the world, LOL, nothing stops them. They just grow around here.

I have 4 Osmanthus. Love them! But I don't think I can put them in the border where I want the viburnums - it gets too much wind and the Osmanthus I have are Supposedly only hardy to zone 8 so I'm already pushing it. I have them in a place where they have a bit of protection from the wind tho and they've done fine. Just hope we don't have a really harsh winter anytime soon. Don't know how long they could take temps below 10 or 15 degrees.

firstandten:

Well, I'm trying out my first Osmanthus ever, so we can trade notes on how mine does versus how your prospective Viburnum do.

I've got Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Variegatus' (only plant available from site my parents were visiting on their way back from NC in July). I'm just intoxicated by the fall fragrance. I fully expect it to be deleted by winter cold, though one reference says it will defoliate at -8ºF but had buds/twigs survive. We'll see.

After kman's comments, now I'll have to go lusting after Viburnum japonicum which I'd deftly avoided evaluating (till now). Drat.

VV, I've thought abt getting some heterophyllus . One of my 4 is O.fortunei which is supposed to bloom in fall and be extremely fragrant. But mine was mail order abt. 1 1/2 yrs. ago so it's still very "young". I'm trying not to get my hopes up for blooms for another yr. or 2.

My others are O. fragrans. Haven't had as many blooms as I expected. They just sort of spritz all year long. But I love them anyway.

My SOuthern Living Garden Book (my gardening bible) says O. heterophyllus is hardy in what they call the Upper South whcih includes KY. But they do make a note that "Variegata" is a bit less cold hardy than the species. It sounds beautiful from their description. Hope yours makes it!