Viburnum foetens
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but is ill-adapted for poor soils and for dry situations. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. A very ornamental plant. Hand pollination may also be beneficial as well as siting the plants so that they get the maximum of protection from severe winter weather[K]. A west-facing wall or woodland edge would be ideal for this[K]. Closely allied to V. grandiflorum and included in that species by many botanists.
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be slow, sometimes taking more than 18 months. If the seed is harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has fully ripened) and sown immediately in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of soft-wood, early summer in a frame. Pot up into individual pots once they start to root and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm long with a heel if possible, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood, winter in a frame. They should root in early spring - pot them up when large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if sufficient new growth is made, otherwise keep them in a cold frame for the next winter and then plant them out in the spring. Layering of current seasons growth in July/August. Takes 15 months.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked, but the fruit is not freely borne in Britain[K].
Material uses
Wood - hard, close grained.
Habitat
An undershrub of coniferous forests, it is also found in oak forests from 1500 - 3300 metres.
Native range
E. Asia - Himalayas.