Overview & Description

Bailey’s Compact American Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey’s Compact’) is a dwarf, densely branched cultivar of the native Highbush Cranberry, prized for its ornamental fruit and compact size. It retains the species’ signature maple-like, three-lobed dark green leaves that turn a brilliant red to reddish-purple in autumn. In late spring, it produces flat, lace-cap clusters of showy white flowers. These are followed by showy, persistent clusters of bright red, edible berries that are tart but excellent for jellies and preserves, persisting into winter and attracting birds.

Growth & Size

This variety exhibits a dense, rounded to oval, multi-stemmed growth habit. It is a slow to medium-growing shrub, typically reaching a mature size of about 4 to 6 feet in both height and spread. It grows at a moderate rate and can be expected to live for approximately 40 years under ideal conditions.

Additional Notes

It blooms in late spring. Exceptionally cold-hardy to Zone 2, adaptable, and low-maintenance, it thrives in full sun to partial shade and a range of moist, well-drained soils, including clay. It is drought-tolerant once established, deer resistant, and generally pest-free. An outstanding choice for foundation plantings, hedges, mass plantings, and urban gardens where a tough, ornamental, and compact native shrub is desired.