Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
[vy-BURN-um den-TAY-tum]

Deciduous Perennial Shrub in the Adoxaceae Family

Viburnum dentatum, commonly known as Arrowwood Viburnum, is a versatile, deciduous native shrub that brings natural beauty and wildlife appeal to the garden. It typically grows 8-12 feet tall and wide, with a rounded, multi-stemmed, somewhat suckering habit and dark green, coarsely toothed leaves. In May and June, it produces flat-topped clusters of small white flowers with yellow stamens that attract pollinators, followed by clusters of blue-black berries that ripen in late summer and persist into fall as a valuable food source for birds.

Viburnum dentatum is adaptable to a wide range of soils and moisture levels, from dry to wet, and thrives in full sun to partial shade. It is a relatively low-maintenance shrub well suited to borders, hedges, naturalized areas, and wildlife gardens, and its fall foliage often turns shades of yellow, orange, and reddish-purple before dropping.

Pros

  • Tough, adaptable native shrub that tolerates everything from dry soil to periodic flooding
  • Clusters of blue-black berries feed birds through fall and into winter
  • Larval host plant for the Spring Azure butterfly, and its flowers support native bees
  • Multi-season interest: white spring flowers, fall foliage color, and persistent fall/winter berries

Cons

  • Suckers from the base and can form a spreading thicket if not kept in check
  • Fall color can be inconsistent, ranging from a dull yellow to good red-purple depending on the plant and season
  • Not particularly showy up close; valued more for wildlife and structure than for standout ornamental flowers
  • Can be defoliated by the introduced viburnum leaf beetle
Why Like In the wild, Arrowwood Viburnum is easy to spot in October: its clusters of blue-black berries ripen just as fall color comes in, and the combination draws flocks of songbirds working through hedgerows, woodland edges, and stream banks. It's also one of the host plants for Spring Azure butterfly caterpillars earlier in the season, so a wild thicket of arrowwood supports wildlife nearly year-round, not just in fall.
Highlights One of the most reliable native shrubs for fall and winter wildlife interest — its blue-black berries ripen right around October and often persist into winter, feeding birds when little else is available. It's also the classic "arrow shaft" plant: straight young stems were historically used by Native Americans to make arrow shafts, which is where both the common and species names come from.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 8 - 12 feet tall. 8 - 12 feet wide.
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Wet: Unusually wide moisture tolerance for a garden shrub — handles everything from dry soils to periodic flooding, making it a good choice for both drought-prone spots and low, wet areas like rain garden edges.
Zones 2a - 8b (Usually hardy to -50° F)
Tags Deciduous, Dry, Fall Color, Foundation, Full Sun, Good for Cottage Garden, Illinois Native, Medium, Native to North America, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Shrub, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant Deer Resistant Shrubs, Flowering Shrubs, White Flowering Shrubs, Wildlife Shrubs
Bloom Period May to June (First Bloom: 534 GDD, Full Bloom: 621 GDD)
Flower Color White
Foliage Color Green
 

Most Popular Plants
"Dry" #16, "Wet" #16, "Illinois Native" #24
 

More Info from Experts

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Purple Wintercreeper Euonymus
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 05/04 - 09/30


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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

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