Viburnum setigerum (tea viburnum)

Japanese name: ビブルヌム セティゲルム
Scientific name: Viburnum setigerum

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 4 m tall.
The branches droop slightly.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate-elliptic to ovate, 7–12 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with serrated margins.
Flat corymbs 2.5–4 cm across are borne at the branch tips.
The flowers are white, 4–6 mm across; the corolla is 5-lobed and the 5 stamens protrude long.
The fruit is ovate, 8–10 mm long and 5–7 mm across, ripens red, and hangs down.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
When growing from seed, collect ripe fruits, wash off the pulp thoroughly, and then sow.
It grows well in any soil as long as the site is sunny or in partial shade, well drained and rich in humus.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
In addition to fertilizer in winter, apply a slow-release chemical fertilizer with equal amounts of the three components after flowering as a thank-you fertilizer.
It is not pruned and its natural shape is enjoyed, but when you want to keep it compact, cut just above a bud as early as possible after flowering.
Poor ventilation makes powdery mildew and scale insects likely, so take care.

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