Viburnum dentatum Blue Blaze ('Blubzam') is a trademarked variety from Lake County Nursery. It's a dense, spreading form with distinguished gunmetal-green foliage with deep-wine-red frosted undersides.

Creamy-white flowers cover the plant in late spring, followed by blazing ember-red fall color and blue berries that remain on the plant until Christmas. It stays symmetrical without pruning and will eventually fill out into a 5-by-7-foot shrub. It's hardy to Zone 2 and grows in full sun or partial shade.

Raspberry Tart

V. dentatum Raspberry Tart ('Rastzam') is another trademarked selection from Lake County Nursery. It's compact and grows just half the size of the species (5 feet high and wide). New spring growth is raspberry red, ages to bright-green then changes bright red again in fall.

Dark, metallic-blue berries appear in late summer and persist until January. It's hardy to Zone 2 and grows in full sun or partial shade in a wide range of soils. It withstands drought, salt and pollutants once established.

. © 2003 Branch-Smith Publishing