Overview & Description

The Mohican Wayfaring tree Viburnum (Viburnum lantana ‘Mohican’) is a large, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub valued for its multi-season interest and tough, adaptable nature. It features broad, wrinkled, dark green leaves that turn shades of purple-red to burgundy in autumn. This compact cultivar was selected for its slightly more compact growth and dense, dark green foliage. In late spring, it produces flat-topped clusters of creamy-white flowers that are showy but not fragrant. These are followed by its most ornamental feature: berries that change colour sequentially, remaining a bright orange-red for an impressive four weeks or more before finally turning black at maturity, often with multiple colours present on the same cluster. The berries are popular with birds.

Growth & Size

This cultivar exhibits a dense, upright, multi-stemmed growth habit with a rounded form. It is a moderate-growing shrub, typically reaching a mature size of about 7 to 8 feet in height with a spread of 7 to 10 feet, though it can occasionally grow larger under ideal conditions. It grows at a medium rate.

Additional Notes

It blooms in late spring. This shrub is extremely hardy to Zone 3, drought-tolerant, and adaptable to poor, alkaline, and clay soils, performing better in dry soils than other viburnums. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and is noted for its urban tolerance and ruggedness, with good resistance to bacterial leaf spot. Valued for its wildlife appeal and seasonal colour, it is often used in shelterbelts, naturalized plantings, hedges, screens, and low-maintenance landscapes. Prune as needed immediately after flowering because flower buds form in summer for the following year.