Hedging Plants – Guelder Rose

Name – botanically known as Viburnum opulus. 'Guelder' came from an unusual form of this decorative shrub which arose in the Dutch province of Guelderland. Its white clusters of flowers led to it being renamed the snowball bush, which is highly confusing as several other bushes, including other members of the Viburnum genus, are also referred to as the snowball bush. In addition, it has been naturalised in North America, where it has been misleadingly re-named as European Cranberry-bush.

Description and uses – native to Europe, including Britain, from Scandinavia south and east to Spain, north and west Asia this vigorous deciduous shrub or small tree bears flat heads of heavily scented white flowers in April or May which become bunches of small, bright red fleshy fruit which ripen to transparency in September and attract a variety of animals. The plant possesses attractive, three lobed dark green leaves which turn bright red, to match the berries in autumn. It is good as in informal hedge, or in mixed hedging it can usefully be planted where a proposed hedge-line dips into a damp spot. The nectar is very attractive to hover-flies and the berries are popular with birds. The berries turn black on drying and have been used for making ink – which was commonly done in world war two.

Maintenance and problems – Large quantities of the fruit can cause vomiting and diarrhoea but the fruit is of very low or zero toxicity, it only causes mild upsets when eaten unripe or in large quantities. Trim to shape after flowering, taking care not to remove flowering or berrying stems. For hedges it should be kept between five and ten feet tall, as a shrub it will make thirteen feet in height and fifteen feet in spread.

Hedging guelder rose photograph by Akuppa, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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