THE SWEET SMELL OF SPICE IS IN THE AIR

 I planted Viburnum Carlesii , aka, Korean Spice, last year and now its beautiful pink and white blossoms are filling the air with their heady fragrance.  If I didn't know better I would say it was Jasmine.

This is one of the most sought after shrubs at the garden center where I work.   It is one of the earliest blooming viburnums as well, and more compact than most of the genus.  If you have 5 to 6 feet of space and love fragrance and beautiful blooms, this is the shrub for you.

 



Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

An Outstanding Shrub for Spring, Summer and Fall Interest

Viburnum 'carlesii ' compactum

Viburnum ' carlesii ' , or Koreanspice, is a very popular seller in the tree department of the garden center where I work and while I sold many myself I didn't think I could find the space for my rather small city garden. Then along came a compact variety so this summer I purchased and planted one.

The Koreanspice has long season interest, beginning with its rather unique Spring blossoms which open pink and turn to white as they mature. The fragrance is similar to a spice cake or cloves and permeates the area so its ideal to plant nearby so you can enjoy its perfume. Expect many bees and butterflies to enjoy it as well.

The summer interest is the beautiful leaves which turn a gorgeous wine and scarlet in the Fall as you can see from the photo I snapped just yesterday. The Spring blossoms mature into red berries as well and add even more interest, especially for the birds.

Avoid watering the leaves of the Koreanspice as they can be prone to mildew and give it a lot of good air circulation. It does not like to be dry so a lot of humus when planting and a good mulching will help maintain moisture .