Blue Haw Viburnum is a multi-stemmed deciduous native shrub with a dense rounded habit and arching stems. It typically grows to a height and width of 5'-6' sometimes reaching as tall as 12'. It is found in Eastern USA and Canada and in the mountains of NC. Its native habitat is bogs, moist high elevation forests, outcrops, and along streams or ponds. The spring blooms are showy flat-topped clusters of creamy white, while the fall color is variable and showy and the fruits change colors throughout the fall into winter for additional interest. Blue Haw Viburnum needs average to wet well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. It will adapt to drier sites once established. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Aphids, borers, nematodes, scale, and thrips can occasionally cause issues. Leaf spot, anthracnose, and powdery mildew are occasional disease problems. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases. More information on Viburnum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Dense; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Orange; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Entire
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Oval leaves are dull dark green and 1.5 to 3.5 inches long. New growth is bronze to purple-tinged. The tip is acute or bluntly pointed, base rounded or wedge-shaped, margin irregularly toothed. Fall color is crimson, purple or orange-red and showy.
Fall color
Orange; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Creamy white flowers with yellow stamens from May to June on 2"-5" cymes. Individual flowers are 1/4 inch wide.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Blue; Green; Pink; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small green fruit turns iridescent pink to red then blue and black sometimes with different colored fruits in the same cluster. On display from August through winter.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
Smooth, gray-brown bark dotted with lenticels.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Stems are brown and rough.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Distribution
AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
Wildlife value
Birds and mammals are attracted to the berries. Mildly resistant to deer.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds