shrub
Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'
Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Viburnum dentatum 'Christom' is a deciduous shrub for gardens in zones 3–8. It grows 5–7 ft tall and 5–7 ft wide, so plant it 5.5 ft apart. Give it full sun to part shade and average water, and it copes with wet soil. It flowers white in May to June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Midwest. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'
- Plant type
- Shrub, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Medium; tolerates wet soil
- Soil
- Adapts to clay and moist soil.
- Mature size
- 5–7 ft tall × 5–7 ft wide
- Spacing
- 5.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- May–Jun · white
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- natural, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; berries may cause mild stomach upset if eaten in quantity.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $30–$50 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Prune right after flowering; watch for viburnum leaf beetle in the Northeast.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
- Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'small tree · zones 5–9
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'shrub · zones 2–7
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Summersweet 'Hummingbird'Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird'zones 4–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Northern bush honeysuckleDiervilla lonicerazones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Bush honeysuckle 'Kodiak Orange'Diervilla 'G2X88544'zones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine'Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward'zones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants