It looks like Mohican viburnum. I have one - so far has been completely hardy and keeps a great rounded shape. Mine broke from snow load one winter and i thought that great shape was done but its come back beautifully. Nice blooms in late spring, an all around great shrub.

Thanks, pudge! That was extremely helpful indeed - yes, I think the leaves look just like Mohican viburnum indeed!!! :-)

How big is yours now? How long have you had it for?

Are those "buds" (as shown in my awful picture above) really the flower buds for next year?

Thanks again!

Thanks so much, Ostrich, for posting the pic of your mystery shrub! I've been meaning to do the same. I thought it was a viburnum but the leaves didn't seem to match the pictures i found of viburnums. But it's exactly what i have and now i know the name.

I've had it for 6-8 years now and it has grown beautifully. It's about 8 feet tall now and nicely rounded, as Pudge says. Only thing is that it's starting to overflow on to the steps of the deck, so i guess we have to move the steps, eh? :>

Ostrich, a friend has both the Mohican viburnum and a variegated form happily thriving in her low lying zone 2 garden located near Rimbey, AB. Yes, those are the flower buds for next year and my friend says they reliably bloom for her.

The smokebush will freeze back to the ground and act as herbaceous shrub, that's if it does not outright winterkill completely, so indeed protect it well for winter. I have the regular dark purple variety that performs as a perennial, though I know of one large shrub in Edmonton that has been hardy to the tips and I should have gone earlier this summer and requested permission to take a few snips.

I've had mine since 2006 and, as I said earlier, it suffered some damage from snow. Even still, I had to trim it back this year after bloom as I'm hoping to keep it at about 4'. As Terry said, yes, those are flower buds for next year and they have always survived winter. It will also form little red berries after bloom.

Here's a photo of mine in bloom earlier this year - as you can see it blooms about the same time as the lilacs.

pudge, you have a very nice shrub hedge with the lilac and the Mohican Viburnum! What a lovely shrub.

I hope that I will find the space for this lovely shrub. If it stays around 4' that will be perfect. Any larger, I am in trouble...!!! Does viburnum like really stay smaller with trimming/pruning?

Thanks for the great photo.

marcia, thanks! 8' tall!? Oh my.... maybe I will not have the room for it then! Sigh.... let me go find space STAT! LOL

twrosz, I wondered about that for the Smokebush Golden Spirit. If it does die back over winter and then home back as a herbaceous perennial, how tall will it get? In fact, how tall and wide does yours get please? I know that yours is not a Golden Spirit, but I am just curious roughly how big it will be so I can plan for my precious garden space!

Thanks again everyone!

Ostrich, go to the gallery and to the post about June 3rd garden pics. The mohican is in the third pic down, the one with the alliums. It's in the background by the trellising.

WOW! marcia, I had no idea that there's a gallery here! Thanks for telling me about it!

BTW, that thing is BIG!!! Ouch.... I really don't have the space for it. That really teaches me about impulse buying!!! Yikes....

Ostrich, the smokebush is about 3 1/2 ft x 2' wide ... though, has thrown one stem to my height of 5'9".