Wayfaring Tree Hedge (Viburnum lantana)

Wayfaring Tree Hedge Plants Description

Viburnum lantana (Wayfaring Tree), is a robust, deciduous shrub that works well as a hedge, offering seasonal beauty and excellent wildlife benefits. Known for its broad, oval, dark green leaves, Viburnum lantana produces creamy-white clusters of flowers in late spring, followed by vibrant red berries that darken to black in autumn. This fast-growing hedge is ideal for informal screens or naturalistic hedging in gardens or rural settings, where it contributes both visual interest and ecological value.

Benefits:

Seasonal beauty: Viburnum lantana offers year-round visual interest, from its striking white flowers in spring to its colourful berries in autumn. Its dark green leaves turn a lovely shade of yellow before dropping in autumn, adding seasonal colour to your garden.

Wildlife-friendly: The flowers are highly attractive to pollinators, including bees and butterflies, while the berries provide a valuable food source for birds as they ripen from red to black in autumn. The dense growth also offers excellent shelter for small animals.

Hardy and adaptable: Viburnum lantana is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, thriving in both full sun and partial shade, as well as in various soil types. Its resilience to pollution and exposure makes it an excellent choice for urban or rural settings.

Fast-growing: This shrub grows quickly, making it ideal for creating privacy hedges or windbreaks in a relatively short period of time.

Low-maintenance: Once established, Viburnum lantana is easy to care for and requires minimal attention, making it a practical choice for busy gardeners.

Pruning Advice

Viburnum lantana requires minimal pruning to maintain its health and shape. The best time to prune is in late winter or early spring, before new growth begins. Remove any dead, damaged, or diseased branches to promote healthy growth and improve air circulation. Lightly trim back to maintain a neat shape, especially if you are using the plant as a formal hedge. For more informal hedges, pruning can be kept to a minimum, allowing the plant to maintain its natural form. If the hedge becomes overgrown, it can be cut back more severely in early spring to rejuvenate it.

With its beautiful seasonal display, fast growth, and wildlife-friendly features, Viburnum lantana is an excellent choice for an informal yet functional hedge in any garden.

Further Information

Planting distances are largely a matter of preference. For bare root plants, spacing them at 3 plants per meter is sufficient, 5 plants is optimal, and 7 plants in a double staggered row will result in a denser hedge more quickly. Generally, smaller plants should be planted at a higher density. For cell-grown plants, spacing at 4 plants per meter in a single row or ideally 6 plants per meter in a staggered row is recommended.

Delivery & Returns

Free delivery is available on most orders (except Premium Products) providing they meet the minimum spend criteria for the size of box or pallet. Pallet deliveries and large box deliveries for tall plants are indicated by icons on the product table listings. Delivery costs and minimum order details for each packaging type are as follows:

* Standard Sized Boxes (Bare root up to 1.2m tall & pots up to 7.5L) | Free UK Mainland Delivery for orders over £250 | or £9.98 charge.

* Tall Sized Boxes (Bare roots 1.2m & over) | Free UK Mainland Delivery for orders over £250 | or £24.99 charge.

* Pallets (Root balls, large pots 10L+, trees etc | Free UK Mainland Delivery for orders over £350 | or £82 charge.

* Pleached Trees (Specialist Delivery) | Free UK Mainland Delivery for orders over £1500 | or £450 charge.