Spring Bouquet Shrubs

One word that never applies to the "Spring Bouquet" shrub (Viburnum tinus "Spring Bouquet") is "boring." This vibrant viburnum cultivar, suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 though 10, does something in every season to keep the garden interesting. Add an easy-going temperament and manageable size to "Spring Bouquet's" list of charms, and you have a standout year-round ornamental.

Ornamental Oomph

"Spring Bouquet's" year-long garden show opens in late winter with showy clusters of tiny, spherical pink buds. By early spring, star-shaped, red-blushed pink blooms glow against the evergreen foliage, reappearing sporadically through the summer and fall. Fading to white as they age, the honey-scented flowers lure hummingbirds and butterflies. A variety of birds feed on the metallic-blue or lavender berries following the blooms. "Spring Bouquet" leaves retain their glossy, dark-green color and dense habit all year, making the shrub an excellent hedge candidate.

Planting "Spring Bouquet"

"Spring Bouquet" tolerates partial shade, but flowers most abundantly with six hours of daily sun. Pant it in moist, well-draining organically rich soil with an acidic pH between 5.6 and 6.6. Increase your soil’s organic content, if necessary, by tilling a 3-inch layer of compost or aged manure into its top 9 inches before planting. If you’re planting a hedge, space the individual shrubs with their centers 3 feet apart to accommodate their mature width.

Continuing Care

"Spring Bouquet" isn't demanding, but it does need consistently moist soil. Water it every other day for the first two weeks after planting, and then weekly when rainfall measures less than 1 inch. Feed it yearly with a 3-inch compost layer reaching to the drip line, where rain falls from the outermost branches. After feeding, replenish the hardwood mulch to maintain its 2-inch depth. To shape 4- to 6-foot high "Spring Bouquet," prune it occasionally after its spring bloom. (Clean your pruning shears before use with a solution of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. Clean your pruning shears again after every cut into diseased wood.) Remove damaged, diseased or dead branches immediately.

Potential Problems

Most of the pests and diseases that plague other Viburnum varieties ignore "Spring Bouquet." One major Mediterranean-climate exception is the greenhouse thrips insect. Ignore the name; without cold winters to stop them, groups of these flea-sized, black fringe-winged pests feed on viburnums all year. If lighter patches are stippling your shrub's normally dark-green leaves, examine their undersides for these pests. Specks of black waste peppering the foliage confirm a greenhouse thrips infestation.

Treating Thrips

Prune small thrips infestations from your plant, or knock them off with a spray of water. Treat large populations at the first sign of damage with ready-to-use insecticidal soap spray. It suffocates greenhouse thrips on contact without leaving residue toxic to the lacewings, pirate bugs and other beneficials that prey on thrips. Wearing protective clothing, spray the shrub until the soap drips from all its surfaces, especially the undersides of the leaves. Because thrips reproduce so quickly, repeat spraying at the label's recommended intervals may be needed to eliminate them.

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