Viburnums range in size from 2 feet to 30 feet. Their flowers range from very fragrant to very unpleasant and are primarily creamy white but can vary from white to pink. The individual florets grow in clusters usually found at the ends of the branches.
The brilliant colored fruits are yellow, orange, red, pink, blue or black. In general, heaviest fruit set occurs when several different cultivars that bloom at the same time are planted together. Viburnum flowers attract many butterflies, and the fruit clusters are popular with birds.
The foliage ranges from glossy green to a dull, dark green, velvet appearance to foliage that is thick and leathery. Fall coloration is an attractive feature of viburnum. In fall the leaf color ranges from a glossy red to scarlet or purple.
Most viburnums are dense shrubs forming a mass of green foliage, but some varieties grow as loose, open shrubs or small trees