Laurustinus

Identification and origin

Viburnum tinus belongs to the viburnum family, Viburnaceae; it was formerly placed in Adoxaceae and, before that, in Caprifoliaceae. It is native all around the Mediterranean: the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands, southern France and Corsica, Italy, Sardinia and Sicily, the western Balkans, Albania, Greece and the Aegean islands, Türkiye, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, as well as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. There it grows in shrubland and on wooded, rocky slopes. It has naturalized elsewhere, notably in the British Isles, where it has been cultivated for some five centuries.

It is a large evergreen shrub, or even a small tree, dense and multi-stemmed, upright at first and then rounded. It reaches 6–12 ft tall and 6–10 ft wide, sometimes up to 13 ft. Its opposite, oval to oblong leaves, 2–4 in long, have smooth edges; they are glossy dark green above and paler beneath, with small tufts of hairs where the veins meet the midrib. The leaf stalk is often hairy.

Flowering is its great asset. From late winter into spring, over a long period, pink buds open into small, waxy, fragrant white flowers held in flat-topped clusters 2–4 in across. They attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. They are followed by small oval drupes about 0 in long, metallic blue turning black, which birds eat. Fruit set is better when several plants grow near one another. The name laurustinus comes from Latin and means “laurel-like tinus,” a nod to its evergreen foliage.

Light

Laurustinus handles full sun as well as part shade, and even tolerates fairly deep shade, although it blooms less there. In regions with hot summers, shade during the hottest part of the day helps it cope with the heat.

Above all, choose a site sheltered from cold, drying north winds: at the edge of its range, they damage twigs and flower buds.

Watering

Like other evergreen viburnums, it tolerates drought well once established: in garden soil, it usually needs no extra water. During the first years after planting, however, water whenever the soil dries at depth, especially in dry spells and in summer: dig in a little to judge moisture below the surface, not just on top. During a long drought, even an established shrub benefits from a deep soaking that wets the whole root zone.

Avoid heavy soils that stay waterlogged, though: the roots rot there.

Potting mix

It grows in almost any soil, whether chalky, clay, loam or sand, acidic or alkaline, as long as it drains well. It prefers deep, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil that stays moist but never soggy. It also tolerates salt spray and salty soil, which makes it a good shrub for coastal gardens.

It needs little or no fertilizer. An annual mulch is enough: each winter, spread a layer of about 2 in of compost or well-rotted manure, leaving a small mulch-free circle around the base to prevent rot.

Temperature

It is grown in the ground in USDA zones 8a to 10b, and sometimes in zone 7 with good protection. Once established, it is hardy to about -0 °F, but its foliage can be damaged as soon as temperatures drop below 10 °F. Early fall frosts and late spring frosts can injure twigs and buds. Variegated forms are less cold-hardy than the species.

Repotting

Laurustinus is mostly grown in the ground. It is sold in containers and is best planted in early spring or in fall; in warm regions, fall is ideal. Spring planting works, but it calls for careful watering through the following summer. Avoid periods of extreme heat or drought.

Allow room: a mature shrub spreads 6–12 ft, less for compact cultivars; space plants 4–10 ft apart depending on their mature size. Work organic matter into the planting soil so that the future root zone holds 10 to 20 percent organic matter, then mulch.

Pruning

It needs little pruning but tolerates it very well, including hard pruning to rejuvenate an old shrub. Prune right after flowering, every year if you want to control its height and shape, or in early summer to remove overly vigorous branches. Shearing removes most of the flower buds and fruit: to keep the bloom, wait until flowering is over. Before pruning in spring or early summer, check for active birds’ nests.

Propagation

The most common method is semi-ripe cuttings, from midsummer into fall: take shoots of the current year whose base is starting to firm up, strip the lower leaves and insert them in a light mix, kept warm and humid, ideally in a heated propagator.

Layering also works well: bend a low branch to the ground, bury a section of it and keep it moist; once it has rooted, sever it from the parent plant.

Common cultivars: ‘Eve Price’ (compact, ideal for a flowering hedge 5–6 ft high), ‘Spring Bouquet’ or ‘Compactum’ (dense, 3–6 ft), ‘Gwenllian’ (strongly fragrant pinkish-white flowers), ‘Lisa Rosa’ (dark pink buds), ‘Lucidum’ (large leaves), ‘Robustum’ (large leaves, pink flowers) and the variegated ‘Variegatum’ and ‘Bewley’s Variegated’.

Common problems

• Leaves riddled with holes, like lace: viburnum leaf beetle. Its creamy yellow, black-marked larvae devour young leaves in spring, and the adults keep feeding on the foliage in late summer; damaged leaves give off an unpleasant smell when wet. The plant usually recovers: tolerate the damage, encourage birds and ground beetles, and keep nematodes for heavy infestations.
• Pests: aphids, viburnum whitefly and viburnum scale, thrips, spider mites and root weevils.
• Spots on the leaves: fungal or algal leaf spot, powdery mildew, downy mildew.
• Twig dieback, cankers: fungal canker diseases, often on a stressed plant.
• Yellowing, decline, rotten roots: waterlogged soil, Phytophthora or honey fungus.
• Flowers or leaves covered in gray fuzz: gray mold.
• Scorched twigs and buds: early or late frosts, cold winds.

The same symptom can have several causes: look at the soil, drainage, exposure and winter conditions before drawing conclusions.

Toxicity

Laurustinus berries are ornamental but should not be eaten: the plant is listed among potentially harmful plants, for people and pets alike. Wear gloves when handling it, teach children not to taste the berries and, if any are swallowed, contact a doctor, poison control center or veterinarian.