Viburnum Densa Plant – Viburnum obovatum ‘Densa’ (Walter’s Viburnum, Live Starter Shrub)

The Viburnum Densa (Viburnum obovatum ‘Densa’) is a compact form of the native Walter’s Viburnum. It is one of the best low-maintenance shrubs for a dense, fine-textured hedge. Each spring it covers itself in clusters of small white flowers, a display so generous it is nicknamed Florida snow. After the flowers, berries deepen from red to glossy black, and in fall the foliage takes on a stunning reddish-purple tint. Growing about 4 to 5 feet tall and wide with a naturally dense, rounded habit, Viburnum Densa is ideal as a clipped hedge, screen, or border.

Why Grow Viburnum Densa?

• Naturally dense growth – fine-textured, twiggy foliage makes an outstanding compact hedge and a Florida-friendly alternative to boxwood.
• Showy spring flowers – masses of small white blooms cover the plant in early spring, especially attracting bees and butterflies.
• Wildlife value – red-to-black berries feed birds, while the dense branches provide cover and nesting; it is even a larval host for the spring azure butterfly.
• Native & tough – also a southeastern U.S. native that tolerates wet and dry soils, drought, heat, and salt, and is wind- and deer-resistant.
• Year-round interest – evergreen to semi-evergreen foliage, spring flowers, summer-to-fall berries, and reddish fall color.

Building a living privacy screen? Browse more options in our Shrubs & Bushes and Flowering Plants collections.

Plant Specifications at a Glance

• Botanical name: Viburnum obovatum ‘Densa’ (a compact cultivar of Walter’s Viburnum)
• Plant type: Compact, native, evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub
• Plant family: Viburnaceae (the viburnum family)
• Mature size: typically 4–5 feet tall and 4–5 feet wide
• Bloom season: Early spring, with clusters of small white flowers
• Berries & fall color: Berries ripen from red to black; foliage takes on a reddish-purple tint in fall
• Wildlife: Attracts bees and butterflies; berries feed birds
• Cold Hardiness Zones: 7–10

Viburnum Densa Care & Growing Guide

Viburnum Densa is easy-going and adaptable. Follow these simple guidelines:

• Sunlight: Thrives in full sun and also tolerates partial shade. Generally, more sun produces the densest growth and the most flowers.
• Water: Water regularly to establish a strong root system, with more frequent watering in extreme heat. Once mature, it needs only occasional watering and tolerates both dry spells and periodically wet soil.
• Soil: Adaptable to most soils. Although it prefers well-drained soil, it handles a wide range, from sandy to moist.
• Cold Hardiness Zone: 7–10 (evergreen in mild winters; may briefly lose some leaves at the colder end of its range).
• Pruning: Shear annually to maintain your desired shape and density. Because it tolerates hard pruning, it is excellent for formal hedges, and any suckers can be trimmed to keep a clean form.

Ways to Use Viburnum Densa in the Landscape

This adaptable native fits formal and wild designs alike. Popular uses for Viburnum Densa include:

• Dense, fine-textured hedges and privacy screens
• Also foundation plantings and shrub borders
• Mass plantings and native or wildlife gardens
• Similarly, pond and stream margins or rain gardens
• Specimen shrub, or limbed up into a small tree

It layers well with other evergreen shrubs for a fuller screen. For example, gardeners often combine it with the compact Viburnum Spring Bouquet, the fast-growing Wax Myrtle, or Sinense Ligustrum for a varied living fence.

What You’ll Receive

These are live Viburnum Densa 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.

Viburnum Densa FAQ

Growing & Care Questions

Hardiness, Buying & Shipping Questions