Ah....those leaves!!!!

[Kristl Walek]

Paul,

Because I was concentrating on the leaf variation the day I was in the woods, I did not photograph any mature plants in isolation. This site is so thick with plants that the competition is quite fierce- some are seedlings, some suckers, most have grown in the straggly fashion they are prone to. Branches will also root if they touch the ground, causing more upward growth.

The stems are very slender and flexible, and the shrub has a delicate, open, light, ethereal, wild appearance. In the wild, most plants in large colonies like this stay an average of 1-2m...but in isolation, given enough space they can reach 3-4m (although perhaps 3m is more average). One sees plants that have grown up with a single (thin) trunk - I have trained some of my seedlings in the garden in this way---and they have a similar feeling to the Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia-another of my native favorites), although the horizontal growth is not as wide nor as tiered as the Cornus. Left on their own,  most will develop a multi trunk habit. This is not a plant I would place in a formal shrub area---but I would not be without it in the woodland garden where it's wild character and intense colour is shown to best advantage especially at this time of the year when the shade areas are primarily green.

Kristl

[Paul T]

Kristl,

It's sounding better and better.  I like the sound of "the shrub has a delicate, open, light, ethereal, wild appearance."  Sounds great!

[ChrisB]

Krystl, just curious, where abouts in Ontario are they growing?  There is a vast difference in low temps between Lake Ontario and the far north of the Province.

[Kristl Walek]

Chris,
I live in the Ottawa Valley and the species is around here (but in limited areas). I don't think there is any issue of hardiness (average lows here are -35C, winters are getting warmer, we have had temps to -45C). However the plant is not in abundance in this area because of the predominantly alkaline woodlands---wonderful limestone for rock gardens everywhere---my mother lode site is about 1.5 hrs. away in Quebec (where the soil is decidedly more acidic). It also ranges into the Canadian Maritimes (generally more acid). I know it grows much further North of me, but I not not know it's northern limit.

I am 10 hours north of southern Ontario (border with the USA) and 2-3 hours south of Algonquin Park, which starts to get north in the sense of your question.

Kristl

[ChrisB]

Know exactly where you are now Krystl.  I used to live in S. Ontario myself.   Been back in UK for 20 years now though.  Lovely part of the world.  Enjoy!  Too cold for me in winter, and way too hot in summer.... but I still visit and have friends over there.

[zephirine]

Many viburnums have superb fall colouring.
Another example with this V. dentatum chance seedling, which we call V. dentatum 'Cote Rotie', in reference to a famous french wine and the plant's firy colours in fall.
The 4 first pics give you an idea of the early colouring stage, and were taken on my own specimen last week. The 2 last pics are from the original plant, some km away: it is on a more sunny location, and the fall colours are always one to two weeks earlier there.
Zeph

[Lesley Cox]

A luscious red indeed.