Viburnum plicatum 'Summer Snowflake' needs severe pruning?

14 years ago

I have a Viburnum plicatum 'Summer Snowflake' that has been looking more and more rangy for several years now. It's at least 10 feet tall. I tried cutting it back substantially last year but not severely, and it looked really awkward. What would be the best way to prune it? How well would it respond to severe pruning?

Thanks,

Ellen

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

14 years ago

Yes, viburnums are not caning shrubs and so the 1/3 removal method is not applicable. Dirr, in his treatise on viburnums, states: "Viburnums do not require heavy-handed, butcher-shop type pruning. Tidying and shaping with hand pruners is best. Pruning viburnums should be an exercise in retraint". Since nearly all viburnums flower on old growth, any pruning that may be required should be done immediately after flowering. But since 'Summer Snowflake' flowers pretty much non-stop through summer, that may be hard to achieve :-) You may be able to encourage denser growth by cutting back some exterior shoots to right before a node -- this typically will prompt budding of new shoots from the node.

FWIW, there is a mature SS shrub at my nursery that is easily 15' tall and about 10-12' wide. I doubt it has ever seen pruning shears nor does it need to. I might look to other reasons why your shrub's growth is rangy and sparse - poor soils, too much shade, insufficient moisture?

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Comments (6)

whaas_5a
14 years ago
Take 1/3 of the largest canes to the ground each year for 3 years.
ellen_z7ny
Original Author
14 years ago
It's not the kind of shrub that sends up canes, unless I'm mistaken. It's got like multiple slender trunks at the base, which branch out.

Ellen
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whaas_5a
14 years ago
My plicatum had some dieback last year...cut back some of the stems to the ground...shot up several new vigorous stems.

I do agree, Viburnums do not require much, if any pruning. And some you'd wouldn't be able to cutback as I mention as you may have one or two main trunks. My carlesi are like this.

My prunifolium, dentatum and plicatum are more shrubby like and will allow for the 1/3 method...but again I wouldn't do this unless I had dieback or in your case where it sounds like your viburum looks ragged and you've cut it back before. Depending on what you mean by rangy you could try what gg48 mentions above.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
would you agree??? ... that you have the wrong plant.. in the wrong place????

perhaps it is time to be done with it .... and replace it with a plant that fits the space ...

the alternative would be to cut it completely down to about 3 to 6 inches ...... and SEE how it reacts ...

if it dies.. you are on your way to fixing the size problem ....

i suspect.. with my limited viburnum background.. that it will come back just as strong as ever ... but be reduced in size for a few years ...

if it were me.. i would cut it down .. right after flower bloom ... and see what happens ....

though.. you might not get a flower show this year.. based on how you cut it back last year ...

life it too short.. to deal with a problem plant.. in the wrong place.. for the size it can get ... if you are not happy with it.. get rid of it..

who is in charge of your garden anyway.. lol

good luck

ken
ellen_z7ny
Original Author
14 years ago
I think I used the wrong word when I said "rangy." Yes, there has been some dieback and that has left some open spaces. I've been cutting it back with the hope of new branching, but it hasn't been enough.

And yes, it wants to be too large for the space it occupies, because I was given some misinformation regarding its eventual size. But my health and lack of resources prevent me from doing anything about that right now.

Ellen