Dawn Viburnum

 

Bodnant Viburnum

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

(vy-BUR-num) (bod-nan-TEN-see)

Now that the disaster clean up at work has slowed down my mind is wandering towards spring. Hopefully there will be a few Bodnants in the estate’s amazing Viburnum plantings. I am still learning the gardens and find new plants almost every day. This shrub is a hybrid of two different Viburnum species (Viburnum farreri and V. grandiflorum) and the first crossing in 1933 was discarded as not being significantly different then the parents. A later cross (1935) from the Bodnant Gardens in Wales was considered a success and led to the cultivars 'Dawn', 'Deben' and ‘Charles Lamont’. I only have experience with ‘Dawn’ not ever seeing the other ones for sale.

The amazing thing about this shrub is can bloom during the winter. It usually follows an early April bloom here in Connecticut but can have sporadic flowers during most of the year. If conditions are warm it often starts blooming in February. It grows to about 10 feet tall with arching branches.

Bonus snapshot of another early spring fragrant bloomer. This is also a hybrid, like the Viburnum, between Japanese and Mountain Pieris (P. japonica x P. floribunda). It is not s showy as some of the new types but a good old standby.

Hybrid Andromeda

Pieris 'Brouwer's Beauty'

(pee-AIR-iss)