The big weekend is here

Are we ever really ready for Mother’s Day weekend? It comes in the middle of the crazy season, so even though it seems like everyone in the industry is already running at maximum speed, we manage to find one more gear to get us through Sunday.

So let’s not talk about this weekend. Let’s talk about Mother’s Day 2022 or even 2023. That’s how far ahead you need to plan if you want to give Mom a Viburnum carlesii. And you do: hydrangeas and roses are very nice, but Koreanspice viburnum is the kind of elegant plant that mothers deserve.

Sure, it’s slower growing than the traditional gift plants, but that champagne you’re serving this weekend took a while to produce, too. Isn’t mom worth a little extra effort?

Viburnum carlesii has a wonderful fragrance in the spring garden and then comes back in fall with rich burgundy foliage. It’s a plant that delights people for years.

Spice Girl® is the perfect size for most any landscape: 6-7′ tall and wide. So you can admire it from inside the house or use it to block the view of the neighbors. I like it near a walkway so the perfumed blooms can be enjoyed with every trip in and out of the house.

This variety has deep pink-red buds that open to very fragrant white flowers. It will grow in full sun or part shade and is hardy in USDA 4-8.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. I hope you get a chance to celebrate this weekend!

Word of the Day: Polleniferous

This was the Dictionary.com Word of the Day on May 1 and a very appropriate one for this time of year.

Allergy sufferers didn’t need the Word of the Day to let them know that it’s pollen season, but getting a high-scoring Scrabble word maybe helps with the discomfort.

Unlike some other Viburnum, V. carlesii doesn’t have ornamental fruit, so we don’t have to worry about planting a pollinator nearby. That means it can be enjoyed as a single specimen plant – but why stop with just one of these delightful shrubs? Hedge your bets and plant a whole row of them! And if the size seems overwhelming, there’s always Spice Baby™!