Viburnum cinnamomifolium

A stately evergreen with the soul of a woodland hillside and the poise of an old garden heirloom.

There are plants that bloom and fade with the hour, and then there are those that hold the line—Viburnum cinnamomifolium is surely of the latter kind. A broadleaf evergreen of remarkable dignity, this fine shrub hails from the mountain forests of western China, where mist gathers in the valleys and plants grow with quiet endurance.

Its deep green leaves, broad and oval with the crisp veining of tooled leather, stay evergreen through the seasons, offering shade-born structure and subtle luster. Not unlike the more diminutive Viburnum davidii, but more generous in form and far better suited to the soft winters of the American South, this shrub earns its keep not through flash, but through form, depth, and resilience.

Come late spring, flat-topped clusters of white flowers gather among the branches like lace pinned to an old Sunday coat. In their wake, blue-black fruits appear—modest, glossy, and welcome to birds who know where to look. Planted in rich, well-drained soil, in dappled light or morning sun, this viburnum will rise 8 to 12 feet, full and finely shaped, making a strong hedge, a noble background, or a solitary figure in the quiet garden.

Hillier once wrote that it is “an imposing species when well grown.” And so it is—a shrub of permanence and presence, the kind that sits comfortably in the corner of a Southern garden, year after year, through storm and stillness alike.

Native Range: Western China
Foliage: Evergreen; large, leathery, deeply veined, lustrous
Bloom Time: Late spring
Flower Color: White, in flattened clusters
Fruit: Shiny blue-black berries
Notable Traits: Evergreen, wildlife-friendly, rare in cultivation, handsome year-round
Garden Uses: Woodland border, hedgerow, garden backbone, solitary specimen