Spring fragrance, fall color. When there is room for only one more shrub, many connoisseur gardeners turn to the Viburnum. Viburnums have everything; a wealth of lovely flowers, an unforgettable perfume in many varieties and a handsome form that is dense with dainty, glossy, dark-green leaves. Later in the season, the gardener is rewarded with a bonus; berries in bright colors that last through winter until picked by the birds for food.

The Viburnum is a shrub that should be planted around the deck or next to the entrance of the house to take full advantage of its fragrance. Spring is the best time to plant viburnums, the sooner the better. There is nothing finicky about the Viburnum. It is tough and reliable and will survive our winters. The new cultivars are disease-resistant. Though there is some variation among the many varieties, most can take full sun or partial shade, though not dense shade.

Viburnums range in leaf size (and hence texture in the shrub border) and also in bulk, though most are large shrubs that requires some space. Learn the growth habit before selecting. Consider too that some varieties are deciduous, some evergreen and still others are semi-evergreen. Some are spectacular in the fall, for example the Southern Black Haw Viburnum rufidulum), which turns a blood red in autumn. Red, yellow and orange berried varieties will be showier than those with black berries.

As with most choice shrubs, well-drained soil is essential. Rich organic content will encourage more growth, but is not indispensable. A slightly acid soil is best, but Viburnums of many kinds prosper in our metropolitan area, with its range of soil chemistry. One that does exceptionally well in our area is the Judd Viburnum, deciduous and beloved for its strong sweet scent that can fill a suburban yard with plenty left for the neighbors. It is a dense, rounded plant that may reach a height of fifteen feet. The bloom is pinkish-white, and the petals form a half globe. The berries are shiny black.

Another locally appreciated cultivar is the compact Cayuga, with exceptionally dense, dark-green foliage. It seldom rises above five feet and does well in constricted space. Its pinkish-red buds open to brilliant white flowers, which exude an unmistakable, intense scent of cloves. The berries that follow in the summer are black. Both Judd and Cayuga are recommended as replacements for the Viburnum carlesii, the venerable Korean Viburnum once very popular but subject to diseases.

Another choice compact variety is Mohawk, which grows no higher than eight feet and blooms in midspring. Some gardeners say Mohawk yields more flowers than all other Viburnums. They start as dark red-buds, opening with white petals marked with reddish blotches. The fragrance is clove-like and very strong.

For connoisseurs drawn to multi-stemmed branching structure, the best Viburnums are Chippewa and Huron. In our metropolitan area, the may keep their foliage through winter, depending on whether they are sheltered from the northeast wind and the harshness of winter. As with most Viburnums, Chippewa and Huron take three years before they hit their stride. They should be planted in pairs - they cross-pollinate to produce an abundance of flowers and fruit. Chippewa and Huron were developed at the National Arboretum. Their breeder, the late Donald Egolf, also developed the wonderful doublefile Viburnum variety named Shasta, which grows to six feet but is twice as much across, unusual among Viburnums. Moreover, from a distance, Shasta's graceful, horizontal branches may be mistaken for those of a dogwood. It fills out admirably the constricted spaces in front of a townhouse.

I have forty-one varieties of Viburnum at my Garden Center, and it is one of the largest collections in North America.