Partial Sun to Full Sun(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)
Mature Height
8-10 Feet
Mature Spread
3-5 Feet
Growing Zones
7 to 8
If you’ve always wanted to up your garden’s early spring game with a fragrant viburnum, now is your chance. Sweet Talker, a new hybrid, offers gorgeous semi-evergreen/plum-tinted foliage, vivid pink honey-scented flowers, all in an easy-care, fast-growing package. It’s easy-going in its light needs, happy to grow in anywhere from full sun to full shade. It’s uniquely heat-tolerant, so hot summers are not an issue for this Sweet Talker. It is taller than wide, averaging nine feet by four, so find it a place where you can enjoy a column of color and fragrance when you need it the most – on the heels of winter. Hear that? It’s asking to come home with you.
Sweet Talker was bred from Viburnum x bodnantense x V. suspensum by renowned breeder Tom Ranney at North Carolina State University. It’s known for being resistant to viburnum beetle resistant, reasonably tolerant to deer and rabbits, and highly salt tolerant. The green foliage is a standout when the flowers pass, with a handsome leathery texture that takes on plum highlights in cooler temperatures in both fall and spring. Hardy in zones 7 through 8, Sweet Talker would make a wonderful hedge or privacy screen, or could be a focal point as a small, vase-shaped tree, perhaps with a skirting of contrasting evergreen Carex, Black Mondo Grass, or spring bulbs. It also makes a fine cut flower, so you can enjoy that spicy-sweet fragrance on your table.
Sweet Talker® Viburnum Care
Viburnums are so easy, there’s very little to specify. While they and Sweet Talker specifically are shade tolerant, you’ll see the most intense bloom and full growth in fuller sun. They are heat tolerant, but regular watering is best, especially while getting established.
The only pruning needed is to remove the very oldest branches after the plant is established for several years to encourage robust-flowering new growth. The best time for pruning is right after blooming. If you’d like to fertilize, use a granular type made for roses and apply in early spring.
Sweet Talker® Viburnum Spacing
You can expect a spread anywhere from 36 to 60 inches across for Sweet Talker, so 45 to 60 inches would be appropriate.
Sweet Talker® Viburnum Information
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-8
Plant Type: Shrub
Light Exposure: Partial Sun to Full Sun
Mature Height: 8 – 10 Feet
Mature Width: 3 – 5 Feet
Mature Spacing: 3 – 5 Feet
Habit: Upright
Flower Color(s): Pink
Flower Description: Loose panicles of fragrant, pink, tubular flowers
