The Korean Spice viburnum is not particularly noted for its audacious form or bombastically-colored blooms. Instead, it is the delicious perfume of its flowers that is the main draw. Its foliage is handsome enough to carry the look through the season, and the shrub is used widely in landscaping, which is why I gave up on viburnums long ago – they’re everywhere, which is lovely, but when I’m home I’d rather be anywhere other than everywhere.
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate their fragrance at this time of the year, when they’re at their glory. It’s a powerful perfume that rides on the slightest breeze, a magical scent that evokes Gatsby-like springs full of hope and fairy’s wings…
