Spring Flower Series: Viburnum

Spring Flower Series: Viburnum

#americangrown greenery Snowball spring flower series Spring flowers Viburnum Willow Creek

Everybody has their own "Now it's spring" moment.  For some, it's when the snow melts, for others, when delicate blossoms tip the ends of fruit trees, and for us flower farmers, it's when Viburnum arrives to our Willow Creek Farm. Welcome to Part 2 of our Spring Flower Series, where we welcome Viburnum!

The short n sweet nature of Viburnum's growing season makes these spring branches extra special --we start picking at the end of March (when their heads are nice and full) and we are usually done by the end of April.

 Growing Viburnum

We grow Viburnum at our Willow Creek farm, located 45 minutes inland from Arcata, situated in a mountain canyon with a superb micro-climate.  This "hot spot" provides the perfect conditions to produce these fantastic spring blooms.  

We plant viburnum in both open fields and covered hoop houses--the hoop houses hold in heat and contribute to a faster growing rate.  We can stagger our picking schedule, starting with early-season hoop houses and ending with their open field-grown counterparts, and this little trick allows us to extend the short viburnum growing season by a few more weeks.   

 Viburnum is also known for its color change during the season.  First, its mass of tiny blossoms bloom in a vivid green color (known as early-season Viburnum), in a hue that is the perfect representation of Pantone's 2017 Color of the Year, Greenery.  Then, as our crop matures and the open-fields get some time in the sunshine, our early-season green viburnum develops into a brilliant, ivory white.  Their "late-season" white color, as well as their spherical, puffy shapes, is why you may hear them referred to as Snowballs. 

L-R: Sun Valley Sleeve, Early Season Viburnum, and Late Season Viburnum

 We pick while the crop is still mostly green, much like we do with our iris, tulips, and lilies.  This guarantees a longer vase life, plus you can watch the blooms color up beautifully.

American Grown Viburnum

 Viburnum Arrangements

When displayed by themselves, these gorgeous specialty branches provide a great focal pop of color, and have a natural, rustic, garden-fresh aesthetic.  

Regardless of whether you opt for early-season green or late-season white, this botanical and its long, wooden stems makes it the perfect complement with quintessential spring flowers such as tulips, iris, and hyacinth.

Tulips and Viburnum

 In fact, tulips and Viburnum are such a powerful, popular spring combination, we offer enhanced, 8-stem bunches of Viburnum and French Tulips.  These combos are big sellers, so be sure to contact your sales rep soon to get your hands on some of these seasonal favorites. And don't wait too long...Spring and Viburnum will be gone in the blink of an eye!

Viburnum and French Tulips

 

Viburnum Spring Snowballs

Viburnum Spring Snowballs

CAGrown Green viburnum Lady Aster short season crops Snowball spring Viburnum Willow Creek

In the Sun Valley Flower World, it ain't spring until we have Viburnum.  And ladies and gentlemen, do we have Viburnum!

Viburnum is extra special because its growing season is one of the shortest--we start picking at the end of March (when their many-flowered heads are nice and full) and we are usually done by the end of April  You may hear Viburnum blooms also referred to as Snowballs--this is because their mass of tiny blossoms give each bloom-head a spherical, puffy shape.

Viburnum is also known for its color change during the season (which we'll talk about below).  They first bloom in a vivid lime green color and then turn to ivory-white puffballs as they mature in the sunshine.  

Early-Season and Late-Season Viburnum

Willow Creek Canyon

We grow Viburnum at our inland farm (a mountain canyon better known as Willow Creek) whose micro-climate provides the perfect conditions to produce this fantastic spring show.  

A rainbow beckons in Spring to our Willow Creek Farm

We plant viburnum in both open fields and covered hoop houses--the hoop houses hold in heat, contributing to a faster growing rate.  This simple trick allows us to extend the normally super-short viburnum growing season.  We can stagger our picking schedule, starting with early-season hoop houses and ending with their open field-grown counterparts.   

Here is the progression of growth over 6 weeks from dormant stems to super green foliage and blooms

 Viburnum Green-to-White

Viburnum is famous for its color change from green-to-white, which signifies the progression of the season. For example, right now, the crop is a charming green color.  This fresh look is known as early-season viburnum; it looks stunning on its own (a veritable spring forest with long stems and full, lime-green heads), and also works wonders as a focal piece in spring bouquets, adding color and a field-to-vase aesthetic to any home or bridal arrangement.

 

Late-season viburnum is another visual treat.  As our crops mature and the open-fields get a few weeks of full sunshine, our young, green viburnum develops into a brilliant white.  We still pick while it's mostly green, just like we do with our iris, tulips, and lilies.  This guarantees a longer vase life and you can watch it color up beautifully.

White snowball viburnum has an exquisite and classical appearance--its long stems and multiple florets still brings the wildflower aesthetic to arrangements like early-season green viburnum, but it also boasts an elegant cleanliness that can only be achieved with white. 

Regardless of whether you opt for early-season green or late-season white, this heady bloom and its wonderfully long, wooden stems makes it the perfect floral complement for wedding bouquets, Mother's day arrangements, or any quintessential spring gathering.  But you better hurry, like spring, viburnum season passes in a beautiful flash.

Green Viburnum and Tulips make the perfect Spring Statement

Vibrant Viburnum

Vibrant Viburnum

#americangrown Viburnum Willow Creek

"All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise"

                                                                          Blackbird, by the Beatles.

Viburnum season is one of the most exciting events of spring. Sun Valley is known for many year round offerings, such as tulips, lilies and irises, but for viburnum this is not the case. Viburnum season comes and goes quickly. The pick started at our farm in Willow Creek a couple weeks ago, and will last only into early May.

Viburnum and Germini

These blooms are commonly referred to as snowballs, which is a great descriptor of what this specialty branch is all about. Early in the season they are a bright green almost like a tennis ball, then as the season matures, they turn in to a classy ivory white, like a snowball.

Early season viburnum is green, later season is white.

We grow the Viburum opulus compactum variety, which is excellent for cut flowers. According to Superfloral Retailing the species name  "opulus" is from the Latin "opulentus," which means "splendid" or "sumptuous," for the blooms appearance. Viburnums are members of the honeysuckle family, and are close relatives of the snowberry, which we also grow in Willow Creek.

In current world events, Viburnum has gotten a some notice lately. According to Wikipedia,
Viburnum opulus (Kalyna) is one of the National symbols of Ukraine. Mentions of the bush can be found throughout the Ukrainian folklore such as songs, picturesque art, Ukrainian embroidery, and others. This bush's symbolic roots can be traced to the Slavic paganism of millennia ago. 

Even with a short availability window, Viburnum is extremely popular. It was an Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers "Cut Flower of the Year" in 2010 and we usually sell it as fast as we can harvest it. With tall sturdy stems we have been pairing viburnum with our french tulips in a consumer bunch. The size of the viburnum blooms compliments the big french tulip heads perfectly.

Viburnum and French Tulips

Viburnum season is the epitome of "short and sweet," as flower lovers dig deeper into unusual seasonal offerings Snowballs stands out as specialty flower which is a noteworthy, distinctive addition to any home. Visit our Viburnum Resource Page for Care and Handling, and visit our Flower Talk Blog post from 2012, where we discuss more about actually growing this unique flower. The arrangement in this post are by Pieter Landman, check out our "Flower Presentations with Pieter Landman" YouTube series to see him work with our flowers.

 

Snowballs in Spring - Viburnum Snowballs, that is

Snowballs in Spring - Viburnum Snowballs, that is

Boots Bridal Bouquet CA Grown California Flowers Flower arrangements Flower farm Rain Boots Snowball Sun Valley Viburnum

Way back in July of last year, I took one of my first trips to the Willow Creek farm with Lane. During that trip, we saw Cotinus, Rosehip and Ilex crops, all in the early stages of their growing cycle. Part of that trip included a tour through Sun Valley's fields of Viburnum opulus, commonly called Snowballs, which we have in abundance right now.

Hoops and Fields

The Viburnum crops I saw on that sunny Sunday in July had been planted periodically over a four year period, some in open fields and some that would soon be covered within hoophouses. The crops in hoophouses "arrive" around three weeks earlier than their open field-grown counterparts, creating a longer season for this fabulous spring flower. Hoops are added to more of the field each year, so our farmers can keep the crops nice and warm, even during winter, when the outside air temperature hovers at a chilly 45 degrees. The warmth from the hoops contributes to a much faster growing rate, thus allowing for an earlier crop. Once Snowballs in hoophouses start to phase out, their neighboring Snowballs in open fields phase in.



In July, Snowballs grow in the open sun. Soon the farmers will stretch plastic
over these metal frames to create hoophouses.



Lane checks the growth progress in July



Lane's dog Mae Mae navigates around the crop

 

Harvest to Home

As I mentioned above, Viburnum harvesting has just begun. Willow Creek farmers cut them when their heads are nice and full. (You can see what I mean in the close-up picture below.) Freshly harvested Viburnum goes straight into buckets and into our Arcata farm coolers. From there, they make their way to our customers in wet hampers, which prevent dehydration.

Viburnum crops in hoophouses are being harvested now

Viburnum in the field will be harvested in a few weeks

Many Shades of Green

One of the most fun things about Viburnum is it's similarity to those hyper color t-shirts from the 80's! Right now, the crop is a charming green color, similar to that of Green Ball - an extra large variety of green dianthus we grow. Once the crop is bathed in a few days of good sunshine, it starts to turn a lovely shade of bridal white. We harvest Viburnum in all of its stages of color. It all makes for a nice floral complement in spring, Mother's Day and wedding arrangements!

Close-up of gorgeous green Viburnum taken a couple weeks ago

 

"In-betweener" Viburnum from a previous year's crop is changing
from green to white

Fully white Viburnum from a previous year's crop

Vibrant Sunrise Bouquet from Sun Pacific Bouquet - featuring Viburnum

  

Vibrant Sunset Bouquet from Sun Pacific Bouquet - also featuring Viburnum

The viburnum season typically lasts April through May, making it the quintessential spring flower. So, don't miss your chance to fill your buckets with the kind of Snowballs you won't want to throw!

As always, you can learn more information like crop standards and care tips for Viburnum by visiting our Flower Resource pages on our website. Here is the direct link: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_Viburnum.pdf

The Luck of the Flower Farm

The Luck of the Flower Farm

California Flowers Dubium Flowers and Emotion Luck of the Irish St. Patrick's Day Star of Bethlehem Viburnum

Gray skies over our Arcata farm


As luck would have it, while the rest of the country is basking in unseasonably HOT weather, we're finally getting those torrential winter downpours at our Arcata farm that were accustomed to... just in time for spring. With St. Patrick's Day a day away, one can't help but think of the rolling green hills of Ireland (and little "green" men). No place gets that green without A LOT of rain! Dark and stormy isn't always the best recipe for elation, yet the Irish still wholeheartedly believe in luck.

For our flower farms, rain doesn't hurt us per se, but heavy doses can delay field planting and they make everything just a bit muddier! Yet our farmers still believe in luck as well!

Why do they feel lucky? Some of our favorite spring field crops are about to make their debut, in spite of the rain!

Within the next few weeks, you should be on the lookout specifically for Viburnum (Snowball) and Dubium (Star of Bethlehem), which just so happen to be green and orange respectively when they first come in. (These are the official Irish colors, FYI.) 

Viburnum - Look for these early in April.



Orange Dubium - You'll see this popping up now.
Look for white in the next few weeks.


So, grab those brollies (umbrellas) and wellies (rain boots) and put a smile on your face. Despite the rain, we're in luck!