I wouldn't worry about the top bud. These are shrubs, not trees. Did you water really thoroughly when you planted? Rain alone isn't sufficient for the first post planting soak. Other than a good drenching I would try to ignore them if I were you. The low temperatures, rain and snow will make absolutely no difference to them. In fact it sounds like perfect conditions for newly planted hardy shrubs.

Good morning, Floral and thank you for responding.

The paperwork that came with the shrubs said that if the shrubs are already leafed out that the likelihood of success with them drops dramatically.

Since each of our shrubs had a brown, dried out leaf out, I thought we were fighting a losing battle from the very start, so did dh, who said why are we going to all this effort when these aren't going to live anyway?

Yes, I soaked them really well when I planted them.... I guess we'll see what happens.

I would be more concerned with the condition of the soil than with dormancy or lack of it. Wasn't the soil still frozen and icy below the 8" top layer? Plants are tremendously resilient and everything may work out fine, but drainage can be seriously compromised by still-frozen soil. This can lead to roots rotting away. Others may disagree, but unless prep work has been done during the prior fall, early April planting in Z5 is just not a good idea. Much better to wait until the soil is unfrozen and has warmed up some.

My soil for the 25 shrubs was not frozen at all, not even a little.

But, the soil for the 4 Blackhaw shrubs by the side of my house on the east side, that soil was the 21 yards of topsoil last October that I had delivered. And, THAT soil was crunchy and gooey. I don't know how else to describe it. I am going to hook up the hose to the water heater in a little bit and heat up the soil around those shrubs and see if it can help. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention.

I wouldn't be worried.

Hi everyone. We went out yesterday afternoon and looked at all the shrubs and found a lot of our soil had sunk after we watered yesterday. So we went and added about 1/3 more soil to the holes and I readjusted the root ball accordingly, otherwise they would've been planted way too low. The shrubs look pretty good. They don't look any "worse", that's for sure. Here's some pictures of the opened buds; please tell me what you think. By the way, sorry for the dirt mess all around; we have raking to do, and probably a yard full of sod to bag up.

Also, Is it okay that the trunk on this one is split like a y? I know it's not a tree, but it will be a 20ft tall shrub and I don't want a weak trunk. This can be a windy area.

Here's another opened bud. It looks split open. Is that how viburnums look normally? The neighbor's house is in the background. Very nice people, but they store everything on this side of their house that abuts ours. I want to screen it out.Here's the 4 yards.
This is what we have left.

The paperwork that came with the shrubs said that if the shrubs are
already leafed out that the likelihood of success with them drops
dramatically.

==>>> put the seller on notice .... and remind them that they hurried delivery against your wishes ... [probably because they knew the plants were breaking dormancy]....

that said.. these are probably run them over with the truck plants.. dont worry about them ... odds are in your favor ..

but keep in mind ... they will not become very active until the soil warms.. to the depth of the roots you planted ... and in our zone.. that could take a month longer ... though we have some nice warm days.. night temps can still be falling into the 40s or lower... and due to that.. the soil.. at depth.. can stay cold ...

ken

ILMT, even if the top buds were open and even if they subsequently die it really doesn't matter. Even if the top 6 inches of the plant dies it doesn't matter much. These are shrubs. They don't need a leader. They'll just break bud somewhere else when they're ready and will be fuller and bushier for it. Relax.

Will do, Floral. Cold Stream Farm just called me a moment ago, and said to let them know if any of the shrubs don't make it, and that they will take care of everything for me. She did not think that the shrubs opening up their top buds during shipment was a big deal at all.

She didn't say that in a condescending way, she just wanted me to know that she thinks that the shrubs will do just fine. Anyway everyone thanks for your responses

Always pack down the soil when planting to avoid air pockets, then the soil won't settle as much (if at all).

In heavier soils, packing down as in filling the planting hole then putting your full weight on it, is not a good idea. Far better to use the traditional "puddling in" technique. Add a little backfill, run a stream from the hose to wash the soil down among the roots, let it drain. Add more backfill, water again, drain, etc. You can damage roots by a heavy tread and wind up with air pockets anyway. I'm also wondering if some of the subsidence might have been caused by melting ice crystals, either in the native soil or the fill.

Absolutely, 'packing down' is not the right term at all. 'Firming' perhaps but puddling even better. That's one of the reasons thorough watering is so important after planting. It serves a double purpose: irrigation and soil settling.

Just a word on the viburnums. Blackhaw (V. prunifolium) is a small single stemmed tree, not a shrub. A lovely small tree, native to my woods, but not something I'd consider for screening.