Question about viburnum placement.

8 years ago

Please bear with me, I may get long winded and ramble...I have a mix of arrowwood dentatum and nannyberry viburnums that I bought on an auction site last year. 12 plants, 10 survived the winter (they were small, between 1 and 2 feet tall). I planted them to make a mixed hedge that I planned on leaving natural - not trimmed. Well, I am an older, 60-ish woman and use a push mower on a sloped lot 70' x 150'. It's just getting to be a bit much for me so I contracted a lawn service to mow for me this year - cheaper than buying and maintaining a riding mower. The guy says he can mow around the shrubs - which are still barely more than sticks - if I create an island of mulch that encompases all the shrubs in one long strip. They are planted about 8 feet apart because I wanted them to fill in to a hedge quicker. I admit that a mulch strip would be look better and probably be beneficial to the plants. But he'd really prefer I move them. They are in full sun now, and the only place they could go that would accommodate their growing size would be in late afternoon shade, up against my neighbor's stockade fence. Good drainage there, and good airflow in spite of the fence. He said he didn't mind. I live in z6 of Virginia and it always hovers in the mid-upper 90s or low 100s in the summer - which is either very dry or very wet - no in between, but usually dry. What is your advice? My reading suggests they might like the late afternoon shade because the summers here are so hot. Thanks in advance.

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Comments (5)

User
8 years ago
My advice would be to hire a competent lawn care service, which this one does not appear to be.

If you haven't already, small mulch rings around each plant are a good idea, both to decrease competition from the surrounding grass and to give a mow crew enough of a "buffer" that there won't be a risk of their mowers or string trimmers getting close enough to damage your shrubs.

But demanding a continuous mulch bed? Recommending you move them so he doesn't have to mow around them at all? A lawn care service should be able to mow between those shrubs ("sticks" planted 8 feet apart leaves plenty of room for most commercial riding mowers to fit between), or to use string trimmers if the space is too narrow.

The suggestions this guy is making, to make your life harder and his job easier, reek of unprofessionalism and a desire to cut corners on his part. Hire someone else.
coatfetish thanked User
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
8 years ago
I would never rearrange my plantings to suit my lawn care service.

They work to suit me.

It is quite literally their job to mow around plantings. If the yard is more difficult then quote me a slightly higher price but don't be asking me to move shrubs purely to make your life easier.
coatfetish thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
That seems unnaturally demanding on behalf of your lawn service!! To be honest, if you are attempting to establish the viburnum as a hedge, it is best to remove any sod in between the plants and just keep the area mulched. At some point, the plants will be large enough that mowing in between them will be difficult, if not impossible, and then that area will just fill up with grassy weeds that will detract from the plants and will have to removed or at least cut back manually. So a continuous mulch bed makes a lot of sense. But moving the plants to make life easier for the lawn crew?? No way!!
coatfetish thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
at least he brought it up ... before he mowed them over ... lol ...

sounds like you just dug a small hole in the lawn.. and shoved the plants in ... not a great scenario for the Vs .... if anything.. the grass will be the hardest variable during the hot summer.. invading the planting holes ... and stealing most of the water ...

you should kill all the grass.. and do the mulch thing ... never use landscape cloth ...

how about this ... you let him do as best he can.. but you do the little bit of lawn left around the plants ... meanwhile.. start working on the grass removal and mulch project ... even if it takes you all summer ...

if he does 99% of the grass ... that doesnt leave you all that much to mow or clip ... and if you do.. you will find out why he thinks its a PIA ...

ken
coatfetish thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
coatfetish
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for all the responses. Frankly, I hadn't thought his suggestion was odd, but I've never dealt with a lawn service before. I also have an 8' tall multi-geared wind spinner/sculpture in my backyard, and that bothered him too (as an obstacle) so maybe his company isn't right for me. Good to know before I commit to using them. Gardengal48, I can see your point on the continuous mulch benefiting the plants by removing competition for water and nutrients - thanks! When I posted, I should have clarified that when I planted these viburnums, I dug out an area 3' wide and approx 18"-20" deep for each of them, and mulched the 3' diameter with rings not touching the bark - so it won't be a huge job to connect the mulch. And Ken, I have been mowing between them since I planted them late last winter. It didn't seem like a pia to me, but I can see how much easier it will be if they are not individual little "islands". Thank you all, I will leave them where they are and remove the grass between them and extend the mulch to help them along. I appreciate the help!