Arrowwood Viburnum: Native Garden Essential

Highlights

Arrowwood Viburnum is a native shrub that dramatically changes throughout the year, moving from showy blossoms to glossy leaves to berry-laden branches. It’s a bird magnet. They can become larger shrubs, topping out around 10-15 feet. Plant these along your property line, under taller trees, or against buildings, and watch the birds go wild. Arrowwood Viburnums are one of several viburnums native to North America. Discover planting tips and varieties below.

Arrowwood Viburnum

Latin name:

Viburnum dentatum

Dig Deeper

Explore the history, types, and where to plant native Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowwood Viburnum is one of the many native viburnums found in North America (our Beginner’s Guide to Native Viburnums lists several more.) In this article, we’ll focus on this one plant, share its benefits, and include some landscaping inspiration.

Let’s start with a basic question:

What are the benefits of planting Arrowwood Viburnum?

Arrowwood Viburnum is a plant native to North America. This means this plant has been happily growing in its home area for thousands of years, without any human intervention.

Planting native plants makes our yards and spaces gorgeous while helping the birds, butterflies, and animals (and helping save us time!) Here are three reasons why planting native is worth it:

Wildlife support: Without native plants, iconic animals like Monarch butterflies and songbirds won’t have the food or homes needed to survive
Native plants save time and money: after the first year of getting established, native plants are happy with rain
Fuss-free beauty. Arrowwood Viburnum is a perfect example of how beautiful and resilient native plants are—they are always the best choice for our gardens.

And one more benefit to planting Arrowwood Viburnum…

Arrowwood Viburnum is a host plant for Spring Azure butterflies

If you need one more reason to plant this easy-going shrub, here it is: Arrowwood Viburnum is a host plant for Spring Azure butterflies. A host plant is a specific plant that a bug or butterfly lays its eggs on. Without host plants like Arrowwood Viburnum, we would not have Spring Azure butterflies.

Now that we know the benefits of planting it, you’re probably wondering…

How did Arrowwood Viburnum get its name?

The plant’s name comes from its history as a useful plant for indigenous people. Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) is named for its wood, which grows very straight and was used by Native Americans to make arrows. The wood of Arrowwood Viburnum is strong and flexible, making it ideal for creating arrows for hunting. The wood of the shrub is also durable and is often used for making tool handles and other wooden objects.

Arrowwood Viburnum also goes by ‘Southern Arrowwood’

One of the challenging things about plant names is that often a single plant can have many common names, or names given by the generations before. This plant is often called ‘Arrowwood Viburnum’ in the Northeast and ‘Southern Arrowwood’ in the South.

We know—how confusing is that?!

Single Latin name to the rescue

To help bring clarity, a single botanic naming system was created in the 1600s. In this system, every plant has only one name in Latin.

This plant’s Latin name is Viburnum dentatum. If you want to make sure you’re getting a specific plant, look for the Latin name.

Where is Arrowwood Viburnum native?

Arrowwood Viburnum is native to a huge part of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southern United States.

We know their name and their native range. Now, let’s focus on how Arrowwood Viburnums change throughout the year:

Arrowwood Viburnums throughout the seasons

Arrowwood Viburnums look fantastic no matter the season.

Spring

In the spring, palm-sized white blossoms are covered with pollinators.

Summer

The flowers slowly turn into berries, while the tree is filled with bright green leaves.

Fall

The leaves turn firey shades of orange and red, and the branches are filled with hungry birds.

Where should I plant Arrowwood Viburnum?

Arrowwood Viburnum is a great native shrub that some landscapers call indestructible since it thrives with minimal care. Ideas for planting include:

Front-yard landscaping
Pollinator gardens
Hedgerows
Privacy fences (pair with evergreen natives like Mountain Laurel, native rhododendrons for maximum coverage)

How to plant Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowwood Viburnum is a perfect plant for beginner gardeners. It thrives in a wide range of sunlight—from full sun to part shade. Once you’ve found a spot to plant one…

Choose a location with well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade.
Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball and just deep enough to accommodate the root ball at the soil level.
Remove the plant from its container and gently loosen any tangled roots.
Place the Arrowwood Viburnum in the hole, ensuring that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.
Fill the hole with soil, gently tamping it down as you go to remove any air pockets.
Water the Arrowwood Viburnum thoroughly to settle the soil and hydrate the roots.

How can I find Arrowwood Viburnum?

Looking to find some for your yard? Here are our recommendations for sourcing:

Arrowwood Viburnum

Where can I find seeds and plants?

Finding native plants can be challenging (we partly blame Marie Antoinette.) To make it easier, we’ve assembled four sourcing ideas.

Native Nursery List

100+ native nurseries makes finding one a breeze

Online Native Plant Sellers

We've included 100+ online resources to help

Society Plant Sales

Every state has a native plant society; find yours

Online Communities

Local Facebook groups are a great plant source

What are good Arrowwood Viburnum pairings?

There are so many fantastic pairings for Arrowwood Viburnum! For an incredible fall garden, pair with Black-Eyed Susans and Asters. If you have a trellis or fence nearby, you’ve got to plant American Wisteria or Coral Honeysuckle. If you’re planting in a part-shade area, Heuchera, Mountain Laurel, and native Azaleas are perfect. Or, plant a Southern Catalpa tree, and put a garden in the sky.

Native flower pairings

Native shrub pairings

To sum it all up: Arrowwood Viburnum is a perfect shrub to grow in a wide range of environments, especially if you like birds! It changes throughout the seasons, offering lots to enjoy in your landscape. Consider replacing a boring, always-the-same-looking nonnative shrub (like boxwoods) with an Arrowwood Viburnum. The birds will thank you, and you’ll be delighted to watch the show as the seasons change. Meet some other native viburnums in our Beginner’s Guide to Native Viburnums. Happy planting!

Next steps and resources