Sugar N' Spice™ Korean Spice Viburnum

Sugar N' Spice™ Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii 'Select S') is a delightfully fragrant flowering shrub that brings a burst of spicy-sweet perfume to your spring garden! This reblooming cultivar is a modern twist on the beloved Korean Spice Viburnum, known for its intoxicating clove-scented blooms.

Clusters of pink buds open to white, dome-shaped flower heads. After pollination, red berries mature to black, attracting birds while adding a seasonal accent. It flowers early to mid-spring and then surprises gardeners with a second flush of blooms in late summer—a rare trait among Viburnums. Sugar N' Spice™ is a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® selection, chosen for its compact habit, prolific blooms, and reliability.

The form is naturally rounded, topping out around 4 to 8 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, making it ideal for smaller landscapes or tight garden spaces. Its dark green, ovate leaves emerge in spring and turn rich burgundy-red in fall.

Native to Korea, Viburnum carlesii has long been admired for its hardiness and spicy fragrance. Sugar N' Spice™ thrives in USDA Zones 4–8 and handles a wide range of climates, from humid Southeastern summers to chilly Northern winters.

Key Features

• Powerfully fragrant pink-to-white spring flowers
• Reblooming—flowers again in late summer
• Compact, rounded form (4–5 feet tall and wide)
• Burgundy-red fall foliage
• Bird-friendly berries
• Deer-resistant and low-maintenance
• Hardy in USDA Zones 4–8

Landscaping Uses

Its fragrance has deep cultural symbolism, often associated with renewal and the start of spring. This compact variety brings old-fashioned charm in a modern, easy-care package!

This dwarf deciduous shrub stays around 4-8 feet and has a round, mounded form, perfect for layering in garden beds or small hedges.

• Use in foundation plantings for spring fragrance
• Add to cottage gardens, meditation gardens, or sensory gardens
• Plant near patios, paths, or entryways for scent appreciation
• Excellent fragrant additions to mixed shrub borders, hedges, or privacy screens
• Works in large containers for patios or balconies
• Combine with early spring bulbs for a layered bloom

Care and Maintenance

Sugar N' Spice™ is a woody deciduous shrub that's both cold hardy and deer resistant, thriving in full sun to part shade. It’s easy to grow and rewards with fragrance, foliage, and form.

• Planting Time: Best planted in spring or fall
• Sun Needs: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Prefers well-drained soil; tolerates clay with added compost
• Moisture Needs: Medium moisture; drought-tolerant once established
• Mulch: Apply 3–4 inches of arborist mulch or bark chips annually to conserve moisture
• Fertilization Needs: Light feeding in spring with balanced fertilizer or compost
• Pruning Info: Prune right after spring bloom; flowers on old wood
• Renewal Pruning: Every 3–5 years, remove the oldest stems from the base
• Special Needs/Perks:
• Deer-resistant and rabbit-tolerant
• Low maintenance
• Urban and pollution-tolerant
• Pollination Needs: Self-fertile, but more berries form with another Viburnum carlesii nearby

A Spicy-Sweet Spring Favorite

You'll fall head over heels for the clove-scented blooms of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Sugar N' Spice™ Viburnum—an aromatic masterpiece in a compact package. Whether you're looking for a nostalgic nod to heirloom gardens or a fragrant showstopper near your front door, this plant delivers.

Buy now and Nature Hills Nursery will ship it at the proper planting time for your growing zone.