Sweet Viburnum – Viburnum odoratissimum (Fast Evergreen Privacy Hedge, Live Starter Plants)

Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) is a fast-growing evergreen powerhouse, the go-to plant when you want a tall, lush privacy hedge in a hurry. Large, leathery, glossy dark-green leaves (with handsome red-tipped new growth) create a dense, living wall, and each spring the plant is smothered in clusters of small white flowers with an intense, sweet fragrance you can smell across the yard. The blooms give way to red berries that ripen to glossy black and feed the birds. As a result, vigorous and versatile, Sweet Viburnum works as a towering screen, a clipped formal hedge, or a limbed-up small tree.

Why Grow Sweet Viburnum?

• Fast, tall privacy – vigorous growth quickly forms a dense evergreen screen or living fence.
• Intense fragrance – the species name means most fragrant, and the spring flowers perfume the whole garden.
• Year-round good looks – also large, glossy evergreen leaves with red-tipped new growth, plus white flowers and red-to-black berries.
• Wildlife-friendly & deer-resistant – flowers feed pollinators, berries feed birds, and deer tend to leave it alone.
• Versatile form – especially flexible, since you can grow it as a background hedge, screen, accent, or small specimen tree.

Looking for more evergreen structure and screening plants? Browse our Shrubs & Bushes and Trees collections.

Plant Specifications at a Glance

• Botanical name: Viburnum odoratissimum (sweet viburnum)
• Plant type: Fast-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree
• Plant family: Adoxaceae (the moschatel family)
• Mature size: 20–30 feet tall and 15–20 feet wide if left unpruned; easily kept as a 4–8 foot hedge
• Foliage: Large, leathery, glossy dark-green leaves with red-tipped new growth
• Flowers & berries: Extremely fragrant white spring flower clusters, followed by red berries that ripen to glossy black
• Notable traits: Fast-growing; fragrant; deer-resistant; moderately drought-tolerant; pollinator- and bird-friendly
• Cold Hardiness Zones: 8–10

Sweet Viburnum Care & Growing Guide

This is an easy, vigorous grower. Follow these guidelines:

• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade. Specifically, full sun (with a little afternoon shade in the hottest areas) gives the densest growth, while deep shade makes it leggy and thin.
• Water: Water regularly to establish a strong root system, and more often in extreme heat. Once mature, it is moderately drought-tolerant and needs only occasional watering.
• Soil: Adapts to most soils, whether clay, sand, or loam, as long as they are well-drained. However, avoid standing water.
• Cold Hardiness Zone: 8–10. Importantly, it is not salt-tolerant, so it is best kept away from coastal, salt-spray sites.
• Pruning: Give it plenty of room to grow. Shear annually to shape it as a hedge (keep the top a bit narrower than the base), or remove lower branches to train it into a small tree. However, avoid over-pruning, which can make it leggy.

Good to know: the berries and leaves are mildly toxic (they contain saponins) and can cause stomach upset if eaten, since the berries are ornamental, not edible. Therefore, keep them away from children and pets, and wear gloves when handling.

Ways to Use Sweet Viburnum in the Landscape

This fast, fragrant evergreen excels at tall screening. Popular uses for Sweet Viburnum include:

• Fast evergreen privacy hedge or screen
• Also background and foundation plantings for large yards
• Clipped formal hedge or living fence
• Similarly, a limbed-up small specimen or patio tree
• Windbreak and noise-buffer plantings

It pairs well with other evergreen screening plants. For example, gardeners often combine it with the compact Viburnum ‘Spring Bouquet’, the dense Viburnum ‘Densa’, or the native Wax Myrtle.

What You’ll Receive

These are live Sweet Viburnum starter plants, grown and shipped by Carlo’s Plant Farm. Each plant is less than 12 inches tall when we ship it. The listing photos show mature plants of the same species. That way, you can see how yours will look as they grow. Finally, choose your preferred bundle size using the options above.

Also, due to different state laws, we reserve the right to charge extra fees where necessary to comply.

Ordering, Shipping & Returns

Every order ships free and is insured against loss or damage in transit. For full details on how we pack and send your plants, processing and delivery times, and what to do in the rare case of a problem, please review our Shipping Policy and Terms & Conditions before purchasing. By placing an order, you agree to those terms.

Sweet Viburnum FAQ

Growing & Care Questions

Safety, Hardiness & Shipping Questions