Propagating ‘Shasta’ Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum) from Cuttings

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I have many favorite plants (as all gardeners can attest to) but I am really a big fan of viburnums. Many viburnums have showy flowers in the spring, leafy green foliage throughout the growing season, and great fall color. Some are evergreen, many provide food for the birds in the form of berries, and they are definitely fun to grow! It’s only natural that I would want to propagate some more viburnums. Read on to see how I propagate ‘Shasta’ viburnums!

Roots on Viburnum Cutting

I remember observing a house a few years ago that had a beautiful Shasta Viburnum planted on the corner of their house. The viburnum branches covered in blooms was an awesome sight that I wanted to duplicate in my garden. So duplicate it I did! I bought one ‘Shasta’ viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum) and planted it on one corner of our backporch and this year started making cuttings.

Here’s how I made the cuttings of the ‘Shasta’ Viburnum.

  • I took a 3 node cutting about 6 inches long from greenwood wood.
  • I removed all the leaves except for one or two at the top of the cutting. 
  • Dipped the end in rooting hormone and placed it in my sand medium.
  • This time I put the cuttings in a makeshift propagation chamber. (I’ll post on that another day. It was made form two reused plastic containers – one to hold the sand and the other as a lid.)
  • In about 4 weeks I had some nice rooting on the viburnum cuttings. 

Score: 5 of 5 cuttings rooted.

You can find more on Plant Propagation here!

How to Propagate a Viburnum From Cuttings

Check out the video below to see the process of taking cuttings from the viburnum and sticking them in the rooting medium. In this video I used sand and peat but viburnums are very forgiving on the soil medium.

Books I’ve Used for Plant Propagation Research

I have these books in my library and have learned a ton of info through them. When I want to try a new plant to propagate I’ll check these books and see what the best methods might be. (Amazon Aff.) You won’t find every plant (that would be a really BIG BOOK) but you will find enough to give yourself a thorough education with plant propagation.

Propagating a Viburnum by Layering

Another Method of Propagating Viburnums is through layering. Check out this video on how that works! (This works for many types of plants)

4 thoughts on “Propagating ‘Shasta’ Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum) from Cuttings”

  1. I love Viburnum! I have one on the corner of my house right off the patio and when it blooms it smells sooooo good! I really want more!
    I know exactly where you are coming from with a new baby boy at home! It's hard to get to the garden much less the blog!

  2. Do you have the Snowball bush? That is the viburnum we have and I love the thing although, planted too close to a crepe myrtle thus, we must prune the snowball. I wish we could let her go and see how big she could get….

  3. Dave, Viburnums are a great shrub/tree family and i do like a good looking shasta! Cheekwood's are beautifully layered~They'vebe perfect on your property. How delightful to have a new baby to keep you and your middle daughter company company with your oldest heading to school! gail

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