Viburnum nudum

Possumhaw Viburnum is a 12-15-foot tall (some report up to 20 feet) x 12-15-foot wide, deciduous, wet-tolerant shrub of surprising ornamental value found in Eastern states from Texas north to Canada. It ioccurs in all three NC zones, mountains, piedmont and coastal plain, though in the mountains the quite similar Viburnum cassinoides is more common. The stems are upright to arching, leaves are simple, smooth and glossy, white-topped cymes of flowers are abundant in April and May. It is the changing colors of the fruits of Possumhaw Viburnum that are most striking: they begin as a heavy load of pink berries, which ripen – fetchingly unevenly – to deep blue as the season progresses. As the foliage turns to deep burgundy in the fall, the berries darken to blue-black! Grow in full sun to part shade, average to wet soil moisture. The colors will surprise you, and the birds will love you for it.