Longer days, melting snow and warmer sunbeams herald the inevitable end of winter.At this time, the garden slowly comes to life and the buds of woody plants become impatient with the long wait for spring.At the turn of March and April, nature lovers' attention is attracted by the branches of the 'Dawn' viburnum viburnum 'Dawn' sprinkled with fragrant flowers.
Kalina bodnantska Viburnum × bodnantense is a hybrid obtained from crossing the fragrant viburnum Viburnum farreri and the large-flowered Viburnum grandiflorum.Bred in Great Britain, the cultivar 'Dawn' grows up to 2.5 meters in height and reaches a similar width.Initially the shrubs are erect, but with age they become wider, the branches bend in an arched shape and decorate picturesquely.
Very numerous, pink, tubular flowers are clustered in capitate inflorescences.The flowers, dark pink in buds, after unfolding have a white-pink color and an intense pleasant fragrance. Depending on the temperature, they appear from March to April.Leaves appear after flowering, ovate, serrated at the edge, initially brownish, then green, and in autumn, before falling, red or reddish-violet.
Kalina bodnantska looks best in combination with shrubs blooming at a similar date, but with a different color of flowers. Therefore, the compositions with forsythia, witch hazel or hazelnut and shrubs with evergreen leaves look interesting. The 'Dawn' variety, despite the fact that it has been cultivated for over a hundred years, is still very popular in Western Europe.
In the UK, it has even been awarded the AGM Award, awarded by the Royal Horticulture Society to plants of significant decorative and cultivation value.In Poland it is, unfortunately, relatively rare and therefore deserves to be spread, especially in warmer parts of the country
Viburnum shrubs should be planted in warm, sunny or partially shaded places, sheltered from strong winds, especially in winter. Plants grow well in moist, nutrient-rich soils. They are resistant to soil and air pollution, so they will be a perfect decoration of urban gardens.
