Yin Viburnum

The arrival of something new in our gardens is always exciting. When it allows us to see a look that was hard to have in the past, then it’s simply great. The David Viburnum has always been coveted, featured in the best magazines and sites, and admired by everyone. Its stylish and unique foliage, plus amazing turquoise berries, make it highly desirable. Unfortunately, it isn’t the easiest plant to grow, and does best only where there is a combination of mild winters and cool, moist summers, such as in the Pacific Northwest. But the new Yin Viburnum, and its partner the Yang Viburnum, make that unique plant available to many people in the East – like you. A hybrid plant, it has almost identical striking evergreen leaves, and when grown together – bingo! There are those amazing blue berries. Growing into a dense, bushy plant about 4 feet tall and wide, the Yin Viburnum is one of the best evergreens around for giving your beds a stylish and stable look. Avoid those winter months of bare twigs, and grow more evergreens, like this one. The smooth tapering leaves have three pronounced veins that give them a clean and stylish look, and the clusters of white flowers in spring are charming, followed by bunches of eye-catching true-blue berries. A winning combination if there ever was one.

Growing the Ying Viburnum

Size and Appearance

The Yin Viburnum is a medium-sized evergreen shrub of vigorous growth, with dense branching and abundant foliage, growing to between 2 and 4 feet tall, and spreading outwards to around 4 feet wide. Without any trimming it stays neat and always attractive. The leathery leaves are close together on the stems, in opposite pairs, and they are smooth and a strong dark-green, with a slightly textured surface, but still glossy. They are elegant long ovals, tapering to a tip, with 3 prominent veins running along their length, creating 3 grooves that give this bush a fascinating look. The leaves are about 3½ inches long and 1½ inches wide. New leaves are a lighter green, and the strong green coloring is kept throughout the winter months.

In spring clusters of flowers develop at the ends of branches from the previous year. These are in clusters about 2 inches across, and the flowers are small and white. If you also grow the necessary pollinator, the Yang Viburnum, nearby, both bushes will benefit and produce clusters of as many as 50 berries, each ¼ inch long, green at first and then maturing in late summer or fall to become an amazing and unique turquoise blue color. These last for some time through fall and into the winter.

Using the Yin Viburnum in Your Garden

A striking evergreen shrub, the Yin Viburnum is great everywhere, from the more formal areas around your house to out in woodland and natural gardens. It is perfect for the middle of beds, or along a path, and a perfect companion for azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons. For rows and group planting, space plants about 3 feet apart. Use it to fill areas beneath large trees, or tuck it against clipped conifer evergreens, for interesting foliage contrast. In zones 8 and 9 it can be used for planter boxes and pots too. Plant the lower-growing Yang Viburnum in front, so you can enjoy those amazing berries.

Hardiness

The Yin Viburnum is only hardy in warmer zones, growing in warmer parts of zone 7, and in zones 8 and 9. Some leaf damage in winter could happen in colder parts of zone 7 – the use of anti-desiccant spray could reduce that risk. It tolerates hot and humid summers much better than the similar David Viburnum.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Yin Viburnum will grow in shady parts of your garden, but it will produce more flowers – and therefore more berries – if it has 4 to 6 hours of direct sun each day. This is best in the mornings, with protective afternoon shade, but with good watering it can also be grown in full sun, especially in zone 7. It needs well-drained soil, so avoid wet areas, and it grows best in moist, rich soils that are slightly acidic, although that is not an absolute necessity. Compared to the similar David Viburnum, this is an easy and tolerant shrub to grow in many garden situations.

Maintenance and Pruning

Vigorous and fast-growing, the Yin Viburnum is not particularly troubled by pests and diseases, as long as it isn’t regularly dry at the roots. It is generally neat and compact, so avoid trimming it, as this can easily prevent or greatly reduce flowering. Removing any very tall, isolated stems in spring is all it might need, but don’t over prune – it is naturally compact and bushy.

History and Origin of the Yin Viburnum

The David Viburnum, Viburnum davidii, is a handsome evergreen shrub from Western China, named by the collector Ernest Wilson in honor of the French naturalist and missionary Pere Armand David. It is one of the most beautiful and unique evergreen shrubs, but unfortunately slow-growing and difficult in areas with hot, humid summers. Early this century Dr. Thomas Ranney, a plant breeder at South Carolina University, realized that a hybrid of this plant might be much easier to grow. So he crossed it with Viburnum propinquum, sometimes called the Chinese evergreen viburnum. It too comes from western China, and grows to around 8 feet tall and wide. After producing hybrid seedlings, Dr. Ranney worked with those seedlings, crossing them again. In 2011 he picked out one promising plant that looked very like the David Viburnum, and called it ‘NCVX2’. This is the plant released to gardeners, with the name Yin, by Spring Meadow Nursery under their Proven Winners® brand. The pollinating partner, Yang (‘NCVX3’) was selected the next year.

Buying the Yin Viburnum at the Tree Center

The Yin Viburnum is a fabulous new plant that gives you that amazing David viburnum look, without the hassle and difficulties. Use it wherever you need a compact and handsome evergreen, and plant its companion, the Yang Viburnum, to enjoy the remarkable turquoise blueberries they will produce. Everyone is excited about these new plants, and they are sure to be racing out of our gates. Order now, and don’t miss out.