| Last fall I planted 5 virburnum tinus "Robustum" (5 gal size) in the north (very shady) section of my yard. They are planted beneath tall cedars that I limbed way up to reduce the shade. I am tying to achieve a dense hedge like shrub border to provide privacy from neighbors. They seemed to be doing well this spring-there was new growth and they did flower. I fertilized with an all purpose organic fertilizer following directions on the package in the spring. About 6 weeks ago, I noticed that the leaves at the base of the plants are drying up and turning yellow. A week later, the shrivelling seemed to be progressing up from the base. When I called the nursery where I purchased the plants, they thought I might be overwatering, so I stopped the once per week deep soak about 5 weeks ago. The plants still look distressed. Could the problem be too much shade? |
| Viburnums do best in full sunshine to partial shade. It sounds as though yours might not be getting as much sunshine as required. Too much shade can make them prone to mildew. Inspect the leaves to make sure no disease is present, and be sure to water regularly throughout the growing season. (A deep soaking once each week if your soil is well-draining, less often if soil holds lots of moisture). Other than providing additional sunshine, I can't think of anything else your viburnums might need to help them thrive. |
