Beverly Hoffman

Last summer while we were on vacation, deer got into our fenced property, and you guessed it ... they ate and ate, chewed and chewed, and stomped and frolicked.

They must have thought that while we traveled, they should be a bit lazy and taste the full smorgasbord offered. A conifer planted at a corner entrance was uprooted and damaged. It didn't survive even after we replanted it and pampered it.

Now, it's time to dig it out and plant something else there.



False cypress?

I was debating purchasing a Hinoki false cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Aurea') that I recently saw at Butchart Gardens in Victoria. A friend and I took the steps into the Sunken Garden and as we walked onto the pathway, the Hinoki welcomed us with its twists of green branches tipped with bright yellow foliage.

We both stopped and admired its simplicity, its understated regal bearing. Since it is an evergreen, it could have added an all-season presence in that corner.

Every chamaecyparis I've planted I've been happy with, and, generally speaking, deer have ignored them. (But I never say that too loudly because when I've walked around our neighborhood, I've seen deer chewing on other people's chamaecyparis trees.)



Or spice viburnum?

But I also was considering planting a Korean spice viburnum and after an "eenie, meenie, minee, mo," I've decided on a deciduous viburnum that will fill the corner nicely.

The Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) is my pick. Last summer I was on the Master Gardener "Petals and Pathways" Garden Tour and talked to a couple who had one near their gazebo.

They raved of its perfume that scented the air, making working in the garden or sitting in the gazebo much more enjoyable.

Showy shrub

The bush grows 4- to 8-feet high and wide and is a dense rounded shrub with stiff, upright-spreading dusty-green branches that, in autumn, turn red and then morph into a wine color.

Showy pink buds precede the white flowers that bloom in late April, which have a spicy clove-like fragrance that can be detected 30 feet away. They bloom in heady fragrance for about two weeks and then the leaves appear.

Red berries replace the blooms in summer, which turn almost black, pairing nicely with its fall foliage.



Birds and butterflies

Korean spice viburnum should be planted in full sun to partial shade and it likes the slightly acidic soil we have in our valley. It's fairly tolerant of adverse conditions and is relatively trouble-free, although it is subject to bacterial leaf spot.

Butterflies and wild birds are attracted to its fragrance and its berries.

There is a dwarf variety, 'Compactum,' that grows about 4 feet high. There are several other cultivars, too. When shopping at a nursery, make certain that any cultivar you choose has bright fall color.



Virburnum & viburnum

I'll plant my Korean spice near another viburnum I love and highly recommend - the Doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum) that I saw years ago in an arboretum and fell in love with.

It grows about 10 feet high and looks like a queen's skirt of white brocade gracing the garden.

Its flowers open in May and its deeply veined leaves appear pleated and turn a lovely rose wine in the fall. It needs ample moisture. It's a beauty and is certainly a specimen plant.

On the Great Plant Picks Web site (http://greatplant picks.org), you can click on "Plant Lists" and see photos of several Chamaecyparis obtusa varieties, as well as the Viburnum plicatum.

This Web site offers great plant picks and it's interesting to read through a plethora of information.

I'm going out shopping to buy my new Korean spice!



Beverly Hoffman can be reached at columnists@sequimgazette.com.