A number of the viburnums make outstanding cut flowers. Here are some ones that are highly recommended for their flowers or fruits.


Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowwood is recommended for zones three through nine. This can reach 15 feet in height. Native to eastern North America, this species is noted for its outstanding blue-black fruits, which are used as cut flowers. These berries ripen in early fall.

The foliage, which turns red in the fall, can also add color to floral
designs.

Arrowwood has large clusters of creamy white, scented blossoms. The clusters can be three inches in diameter. These appear in late spring.

Blue Muffin is a new cultivar that is noted particularly for its deep blue fruits that ripen in large clusters.


Blackhaw Viburnum

This species is suitable for zones three through nine. It is also known as stag bush. Native to the East, it blooms in late spring. The white flowers open in large flower clusters, up to four inches in diameter.

The blackish-blue fruits are large. With a whitish bloom, these ripen in mid-autumn. The leaves also provide color at that time by turning red to purple.

These stems can be dried in silica gel. This takes five to seven days. When air dried, the leaves aren’t always attractive.


Burkwood Viburnum

Recommended for zones five through eight, this reaches six feet in height. It can be evergreen in mild climates. Introduced in 1924 from England, this is a hybrid. One of the parent’s is the Korean spice viburnum. It originated at the nursery of Burkwood and Skipworth in Kingston-on-Thames.

Pink in bud, the blossoms open to white. The flower clusters are 2½ inches in diameter. They appear with the leaves. These are sweetly scented. The black berries ripen early in the fall.


European cranberry bush

This plant is also called snowball bush. Suitable for zones three through eight, this plant can reach 12 feet in height. It is native to Africa and Eurasia. It is especially tolerant of air pollution.

This lobed foliage is maple-like. The white blooms open in clusters that are four inches in diameter. There are striking sterile blossoms around the outer edges of the clusters. These flowers open in May and June after the leaves unfold.

The berries of the European cranberry have a slight unpleasant odor. These are red, and ripen during late summer in clusters that are four inches wide.

The cultivar Roseum has all sterile flowers, which means that it won’t produce any fruits. This cultivar is known as European snowball, and has globe-shaped flower clusters.