Viburnum x pragense

Viburnum x pragense, the Prague viburnum, is a horticultural variety born in the gardens of the eponymous city in 1955. This hybrid possesses the original evergreen foliage of its first parent, the wrinkled-leaved viburnum, the spring flowering of its second parent, the useful viburnum, and exhibits a curious, almost tabular habit. Its long, wavy leaves, of dark and shiny green, are velvety with brown-grey undersides. They form a beautiful setting for its flowering, which blooms in large flat corymbs adorned with pink buds opening into cream-white flowers. Its cultivation presents no difficulty in a sunny exposure, in ordinary soil, even limestone, but deep and moist. Viburnums are easy-to-grow bushes that blend well in informal hedges; by mixing different species or combining them with other flowering shrubs, you will create a charming, ever-changing garden throughout the year.

Viburnum x pragense, awarded the Award of Garden Merit in England in 1993, belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. This evergreen spring-flowering viburnum is a beautiful and large bush of about 2.5 metres (8 feet 2 inches) in all directions, with a moderately fast growth. The habit, both upright, ample, and bushy, is however often a little wider than tall. In the Prague viburnum, the branches are erect but the twigs are obliquely inserted. Over the years, the habit becomes looser, more open, and the twigs tend to droop. The leaves are entire, undulating, shiny green on the upper side, downy and dull on the underside, elliptical, deeply veined, measuring 7 to 12cm (2.8 to 4.7in) long. The flowering is a pleasant surprise in May-June: the light pink buds appear grouped in flattened and rounded cymes, 10cm (3.9in) wide, at the ends of the twigs. They open gradually in May-June, into small cream-white flowers. This flowering is followed by the formation of small ovoid red fruits, turning black when ripe, which birds delight in. To obtain a beautiful fruiting, it is advisable to plant several plants.

Excellent bush for informal hedges, Viburnum x pragense only requires a sunny exposure and a fairly deep and not too dry soil to thrive. It also makes a beautiful subject, planted as a backdrop. For example, associate it with Viburnum x bodnantense, deciduous with early flowering, Viburnum lantago which is very colourful in autumn, lilacs, Japanese quince, Chinese almond trees, Viburnum davidii, Rosa complicata, Cotoneaster lacteus ...