‘Mary Milton’ is one of the rare viburnums that offer a beautiful pink blooming.
Viburnum plicatum facts
| Name | Viburnum plicatum ‘Mary Milton’ |
|---|---|
| Family | Adoxaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 10 feet (3+ meters) |
| Exposure | full sun or part sun |
| Soil | ordinary, well drained |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Flowering | late spring to mid-autumn |
A spring-blooming shrub, it decorates gardens and terraces in a most elegant manner.
‘Mary Milton’ is prized for its rare pink flowers, but the species offers several other widely grown forms. Here are the ones you are most likely to find in garden centres, with the points that usually decide the choice.
| Variety | Flower colour | Height | Flowering season |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Pink Beauty’ | White turning pink as they age | About 8 ft (2.5 m) | Late spring |
| ‘Grandiflorum’ | White globular snowball heads | About 10 ft (3 m) | Late spring |
| ‘Summer Snowflake’ | White lacecaps | About 6 ft (2 m) | Late spring through to early autumn |
| ‘Watanabe’ | White lacecaps | About 5 ft (1.5 m) | Late spring to late summer |
| ‘Mariesii’ | White lacecaps on horizontal tiers | About 10 ft (3 m) | Late spring |
| ‘Lanarth’ | Large white lacecaps | About 10 ft (3 m) | Late spring |
It is best to plant your Viburnum plicatum or Japanese snowball in fall to favor root development before winter and renewed growth in spring.
This will lead to quick blooming.
However, if purchased in a pot or in a container, you can also plant in spring taking great care to water regularly at the beginning.
Viburnum plicatum ‘Mary Milton’ needs relatively cool soil to develop well. Try to surround it yearly with organic materials to ensure this.
It isn’t necessary to prune the plant, but it can be useful if you wish to reshape older specimens.
Wait for the blooming to end if you wish to reduce or reshape the shrub.
Viburnum plicatum ‘Mary Milton’ is a very beautiful shrub, and its blooming in spring is as wonderful as its foliage in fall.
As part of a flowered hedge, as a standalone or in shrub beds, its growing and maintenance is easy.
It has the advantage of being hardy and provides pollen and nectar for honeybees for their greatest joy in early spring.
Read also on caring for shrubs:
Avoid locations that are too exposed to harsh sun. It’s best to plant it where a tree or taller shrub will protect it for part of the day if you live in hot regions. In cooler places it can cope well with full sun.
