Viburnum utile Eskimo

Viburnum 'Eskimo' is a new variety of hybrid viburnum that is remarkably floriferous and has a modest growth. This deciduous bush has a spreading and compact habit and in May is covered in countless pure white inflorescences, resembling snowballs. They are so numerous that they weigh down the branches. Another asset of this variety is its beautiful autumn foliage, coloured in red and purple. A beautiful novelty to decorate the garden or terrace, easy to grow in ordinary but moist soil!

Viburnum 'Eskimo' is a horticultural variety obtained in the USA in 1980, through cross-breeding between Viburnum carlcephalum 'Cayuga' with large white and fragrant inflorescences, and V. utile. It belongs to the Viburnaceae family. The 'Eskimo' cultivar stands out with its curiously compact habit compared to the size of its parents. Slow-growing, the bush will not exceed 1 m (3.3 ft) in all directions when fully grown. It blooms in April, at the end of the branches, in the form of spherical corymbs with a diameter of 10 cm (3.9 in). Each inflorescence is composed of 80 to 175 creamy-white buds that open into small pure white, unscented trumpets. The fruiting is abundant and decorative, in the form of clusters of round red berries, 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, turning black when ripe and highly appreciated by birds. Its strongly veined, deciduous foliage is a satin green from spring to summer, then it turns purple in autumn, making it doubly interesting in a garden. The leaf is entire, ovate in shape with a pointed tip and smooth margins.

Completely hardy, Viburnum 'Eskimo' is a low-maintenance plant. It thrives in sunny or semi-shade positions, and flourishes in any ordinary soil that is preferably not too chalky. It can be used as a specimen plant in very small gardens, in front of a hedge or a bed of tall bushes in larger gardens. In a hedge, it can be planted alongside a variety of shrubs chosen for their autumn foliage (European spindle, garlic tree, Cotinus, oakleaf hydrangea, Physocarpus), their spring flowering (mock oranges, deutzias, lilacs, Canadian serviceberry), or for their attractive fruiting (chokeberries, beautyberries, snowberries, Chinese quince). Its beautiful inflorescences can also be used in spring bouquets, alongside daffodils and tulips. Viburnum 'Eskimo' holds the record for the smallest size observed among viburnums: a rare quality that allows it to be grown for many years in a large pot to decorate a terrace!