Shrubs🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -25°C

Wayfaring tree

Viburnum lantana

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The Wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana) is an originally native shrub found in dry, sunny to semi-shaded, and lime-rich habitats. The species naturally occurs in dunes, forest edges, hedges, hedgerows, scrub, slope forests, and chalk hills. The leaves are ovate, finely serrated, and covered with light green to white woolly hairs on the underside. In May and June, the Wayfaring tree blooms with creamy white flowers in broad, flat cymes. The flowers have a pleasant, vanilla-like scent. After flowering, oval drupes appear that turn red and later black. The Wayfaring tree is well-suited for lime-rich hedges, dry scrub, dune plantings, forest edges, bird-friendly thickets, and landscape-integrated native planting.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🐝Provides nectar
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

✂️Best pruning period: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
✂️ Pruning period

Best pruning period

Prune the Wayfaring tree lightly in late winter or early spring. Remove old, dead, or crossing branches. For optimal flowering and fruit production, a loose, natural shrub form is best.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun, Half shade

Soil type: Loam, Clay, Sand

Moisture need: Dry, Moderately moist, Moist

pH: Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5), Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5)

Nutrient richness: Nutrient-poor, Moderately nutrient-rich

Humus content: Humus-poor, Moderately humus-rich

Water drainage: Well draining, Strongly draining

Appearance & season

Mature height: 100-350cm

Bloom: May

Autumn colour: Yellow, reddish-brown to purplish-red. The ornamental value lies primarily in the woolly foliage, the creamy white flower cymes, and the berries that change color from red to black.

Properties

Salt sensitive: No

Edible: No

Scent: The flowers have a distinct, pleasant vanilla-like scent. This fragrance makes the white flower cymes extra attractive to floral visitors in May and June.

Ecological value

The Wayfaring tree is valuable for insects, birds, and natural thickets. The creamy white flowers attract bees, hoverflies, beetles, flies, and other floral visitors. The fruits are utilized by birds, while the dense shrub form provides shelter and nesting opportunities. The shrub adds significant structure to hedges, forest edges, and lime-rich thickets. Due to its early summer flowering, striking fruits, and robust growth in dry locations, the Wayfaring tree is a strong species for biodiversity on chalky soils.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsUseful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesVery useful

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesVery useful

🪲 Beetles & insectsVery useful

🐦 BirdsExtremely useful

🐿️ MammalsExtremely useful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

The Wayfaring tree is particularly valuable due to its fragrant white blossoms, red-to-black fruits, and dense shrub structure. The species is highly suitable for lime-rich hedges, dunes, forest edges, and dry scrub.

Distribution in the Netherlands