Guelder Rose
Viburnum opulus
Not a rose at all, but this is certainly one of our most attractive wayside shrubs. Guelder rose is usually found in hedges or at the edge of fields and small woods beside a drain – it needs damp conditions and is most common in Fermanagh, Armagh and Leitrim.
The flowers are a disc of creamy blossoms, larger at the outer edge. These are followed by translucent bright red berries which colour early in the Autumn, which is when this shrub is most obvious.
Collection
Ideally, gather fruits before they are fully ripe, red and soft, otherwise they can become a bit mushy. Collect the fruits by hand picking or stripping branches.
Storage/Stratification
Store fruit in polythene bags until over-ripe or rotten.
Separate flesh from seeds and clean in water. Because of their variable germination time, they are difficult to stratify in the usual way.
Sowing
Instead, sow seeds immediately after cleaning in seed trays or a sheltered seedbed and cover with 2cm light soil. Never allow them to dry out. Germination is variable, erratic and unpredictable and some seedlings may not emerge for 3 springs following sowing or they may germinate straight away!
Line out 15 – 20 cm apart the following autumn after emergence. In I or 2 more years they will be ready to set out in permanent sites.
