Sounds like you've done a lot for one summer. I can't answer your question about cassinoids. You may need to start new post.

The order arrived from Forest Farm today. Four Viburnums. The cassinoides that was advertised at 6-12 inches is actually 14 inches. However, I had also ordered 3 Arrowwood Viburnum "Blue Pearl" advertised at 2-3 feet. I specificly asked about the size of the arrowwoods as even 2-3 feet is smaller than I wanted but I really wanted that particultar Cultivar Blue Pearl known for heavy fruit set.

The Blue Pearls are all under 10 inches and not very full at that. I was hoping to have shrubs to flower next year, this way being a polinator for my species Arrowwood already planted (with fruit). I also needed them as a screen to block my view of the neighbors driveway. I am not a patient person and would have bought a larger size than the 2-3 feet if ForestFarm had them. But these were the largest they had in that shrub. I even asked at ordering time and made sure that they were at least 2-3 feet. I was assured that they most certainly would be.

This was my first order from ForestFarm and I had always heard very good things about them. I am so miffed and upset. It will take YEARS and YEARS for these to grow into anything big enough to do an effective job of screening.

I called FF and they said someone would get back to me.

At least all the V. dentatum are fast growers. Yours should get to size pretty rapidly.

I would've been disappointed too. They were probably a little pricey with their postage being high there. I've never heard anything bad about Forest Farm though. Let us know what they say when they call.

All turned out well as I have my original Blue Pearls and the replacements planted. The leaves on my Blue Pearl Arrowwood did turn a nice shade of reddish yellow but the straight species arrowwood viburnum that I have only got a strange shade of yellowish brown. The shrubs do still have some berries on them, although the mockingbird has been working on eating up the berries.

I love my Cranberry Bush Viburnums, though I had to watch a large flock of starlings ravage them this year! Check out this link for a descriptive list of viburnums.

Here is a link that might be useful: Viburnums-FineGardening

Great link. Reading the article makes me want to go out and get them all. Unfortunatly, there is not that much room in my garden to plant!

Well, the Fairweather Gardens Catalog came so I ordered American Cranberry Bush 'Wentworth' and V.nudum "Count Polaski'. Then I really blew the budget and ordered 3 V. aceifolium (Mapleleaf Viburnum) that I have never seen in any other catalog. I can put those in the shadiest spot of the mixed (mostly Viburnum) border I am starting in the spring. I have three Blue Pearl Arrowood Viburnum to put in there also that I have from last year.

Then I also ordered 3 V. burejaeticum (Manchurian Viburnum) from Oikos Tree Corp. This will not finish the border but I will just add to it as I can plus I have shrubs other than Viburnums to plant comming in the spring.

I never had a Viburnum until late last summer and now I want to add more and more of these lovely and useful shrubs to my yard.

Go nyrita! One can never have enough viburnums around. As I peruse my frigid KY winter landscape, I still have a lot of V. dilatatum fruit, on 'Erie', 'Asian Beauty', and 'Michael Dodge'.

My winterberries, Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' and I. x 'Bonfire' are still shining red, and American holly Ilex opaca 'Judy Evans' is an absolute star with its blood red fruit. And the Indian currant, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus still has many of its coral berries evident around the property.

I am going to get V. dilatatum 'Cardinal Candy' locally for that border next spring. I will need to get another Linden Viburnum cultivar for fruit set, not sure which one.

Goodness, the berries on my Winterbery Holly are long gone. I have Red Sprite and have it planted were I can see it easily from my home office window. The berries get eaten too quickly, one of the reasons I know that I need more Winter Interest berries for the local birds to eat.

Viburnumvalley--

Am deffinately still looking for even more viburnums! Want to add those Linden Viburnums really badly so that there is winter fruit around here for my resident Mockingbird and friends!

I saw what appears to be a great deal for viburnumums on the back cover of Mellingers catalog. They have a viburnum
special one of each of 'Michael Dodge', 'Cardinal Candy', and 'Blue Muffin'. Problem is that Blue Muffin is a dentatum cultivar while they say its dilatatum like Michael Dodge and Cardinal Candy.

Anyway, one is 4.95 while a special for all three is $13.50. Seems like a good deal to get three types that I don't have but I am just really concerned that I wind up with improperly labeled plants or imposter viburnums. I would never know they weren't what they were supposed to be as I can't ID a viburnum by looking at it. Even if it flowers!

Going nuts waiting for the weather to be warm enough to get the viburnams I planted last year to leaf out and then bloom. Thats what happens when I get new plants, too impatient.

I counted up my Viburnums. I have 28 Viburnums. Unbelievable considering that I had none as of last July. Not done yet either but am for this year unless I am lucky enough to get something good at the deep discount stores at a good price. I hope to check them out for bargains at the end of fall as I wasn't able to do that this past fall.

V. prunifolium is going to bloom for me vigorously for the first time this year. I've got this one in a shrub border against an east-facing wall--it's almost 10 feet high and never bloomed before. I just planted a second one as a specimen plant in a spot that gets full sun. Should do well.

nyrita, I've read your thread with great interest. We're just starting to add viburnum for the wildlife this year, and i'm dizzy trying to figure out which ones to plant for fruit set/size etc!
I've seen so few viburnum in Nassau County, i can't even ask my neighbors what theirs are doing. too weird, the nurseries keep selling out their plants, but I never see them around!
How are yours doing?
ww

WkendWarrior-

After reading about Elaine's 10 foot Viburnum, my little Viburnums look extra small. Oh well, you have to start somewhere.

Actually, except for the two original Arrowood species Viburnums I got at a local nursery last August (which are at least 4 1/2 feet high) all my others were mail order and many quite small. My Cardinal Candy that I ordered from Fairweather Gardens were about 9 inches tall when they arrived. They have put on a big growth spurt and are bigger now, but hardly big. Of course many of the other Viburnums I got from Fairweather Gardens this Spring were much bigger. The Asian Beauty was about two feet when it arrived and the Count Polaski even bigger.

Most of the Viburnums are in the new mixed shrub border I made this Spring. It does look pretty good, even though the plants are small because I started by making a bed that was just layers of bagged leaves from last fall so that it looks like a woods floor. I have a small plastic "patio" pond in there also so between the leaves having insects and earthworms, the water and the new plants, there are birds hanging out there often. I have also planted rather closely, rather than giving them the room they will need when the plants are ten years old. I have no patience. I want it to look like something quickly and if I have to thin in future years, that's okay by me.

Oh, and the Blue Pearl Viburnums I got from Forest Farm that I put in Azalea Hill have bloom clusters. I wasn't sure that they would bloom as they are not that much for plants. Maybe 1 1/2 foot high because the branches droop, but not at all full, each bush has about 3 branches. The tiny 9 inch Blue Pearls they originally sent by mistake are fuller and I have those planted in the shrub border. They haven't grown any this spring and those have no bloom clusters. The big species Arrowoods are absolutely covered in bloom clusters. But none of these are near opening.

As far as the plants I got from Fairweather Gardens, many have bloom clusters already for this first year. Asian Beauty has a goodly amount of blooms. Unfortunately my Cardinal Candies have none and they would be the pollinators. Two out of the three Maple Leaf Viburnums have afew bloom clusters each and they are supposed to self set. I bought 4 more V. setigerum from Fairweather this spring, one has already bloomed. I had to have them to go with the three I bought locally last year. All three of those bloomed this spring. My Wentworth has no blooms and neither does the smaller species I had from last year as a pollinator. Of course the three tiny V. burejaeticum (Manchurian Viburnum) I bought from Oikos Tree Crops are not going to bloom, they are very small. But the large Count Polaski I got from Fairweather Gardens is loaded with coming blossom clusters. Unfortunately, I doubt it will set fruit as I have nothing to pollinate it. I did get a small Cassinoides from ForestFarm last year but it hasn't grown any and no blooms.

There are no Viburnums around here as far as I can tell. I have walked around the neighborhood looking for Viburnums in peoples yards but unless they are hidden in back of houses, not visible from the street, there aren't any. None in the big park across the street and I haven't seen any in the wooded nature preserve next to the park but I guess its possible there are some. I am not very good at IDing any plants that grow wild. I too wonder what happens to all the Viburnums sold at the nurseries. Someone must be planting them but where!!!! Not around here, that's for sure. None of my immediate neighbors gardens anyway.

Thank you for the reply, nyrita. I have shrub-envy hearing about 10 ft shrubs. I mail ordered 8 viburnum, from Bluestone and from Digging Dog, and they're just bitty things, but hoping they're fill in quickly. We're not going anywhere.

Today, we were at Dee's in Oceanside picking out berry bushes and the viburnum x burkwoodi was blooming - over-poweringly yummy. We may have to add at least one for scent.
:)
The fellow who was helping us said they've sold dozens. I never ever see viburnum in front yards - they must be in the back yards!
We're planting a triple row berry bushes and viburnum along our creek front for the birdies. The mockers and catbirds have been watching our project with interest.

I have had Mockingbirds here for years but usually only would see a Catbird briefly during the Summer when the Blueberries were ripe. This year the yard is loaded with Catbirds, I see 3 or 4 at a time all Spring. They love to grub around in the leaf litter in the new woodsy shrub boarder. Plus they absolutly love to drink and have a bath in the pond. Of course, the pond is 14 inches deep but I have put some old dead tree branches in there, sticking out, so that a bird can sit on the branch and then follow it into the water going as deeply as it wants and has nice secure, shallow footing to hold on to. Makes something into a birdbath that otherwise would be impossible for them to use. Of course, they do also use the real birdbath in the backyard under the cherry tree. Saw a Cardinal taking a bath there this morning. There are still Mockingbirds here too.

I wish I had a stream. Running water is supposed to attract even more birds than standing water.

Well, add another Viburnum to the list for me. Sunday I was out at Fort Pond Native Nursery at the VERY east end of Long Island. What a long trip. But I had found their website late last Fall and wanted to go out there. And driving thru all the cutsy artsy beach towns made for a very nice day. Anyway, I found a gorgous, gorgous shrub of V. Winterthur in beautiful bud set. Plus it has such nice thick form with the most lucious glossy green leaves. I just couldn't pass it up.

I also bought a large size clump of switch grass and a small clump of mini cattails. The Cattails look like a grass, not like the large common Cattails I am familiar with. Have the perfect wet spot for the Cattails were anything else gets flooded out. Switch Grass with continue my nature attracting border but will start the sunny part further down from the partly shady border already planted. The Winterthur goes in another area of the yard, near the Count Polaski that I had no polinator for. The bloom clusters on both shrubs look at about the same development so hopefully I will get berries on both this year. This was such a find !!!!

Anyone know how big it grows? I am wondering how many feet from the Count Polaski I should plant it as they will be in a row there by my back wall to the neighbors property.

My miniwoodland is so thick and gorgeous you can't walk through it or see across it, and I think catbirds are nesting in there. I constantly see catbirds flying in and out, navigating deftly among the branches, and screaming at the tops of their lungs. This year V. lentago and V. prunifolium both bloomed and set fruit for the first time. Serviceberries are almost ripe, V. trilobum is just finished blooming, arrowwood and maple-leaf viburnums blooming now, grey and red-osier dogwood and elderberry all about to bloom. The elderberries have taken about 5 years to really take hold, but are they growing fasting and suckering lustily now!

Sounds absolutely wonderful, Elaine. Wish you could post pictures for us to see. I figgure I have at least 3 more years of work, not counting this year, before I get the projects done that I have in mind for the yard. Already I am seeing a great increase in backyard birdlife!!!

I am pleased that my Count Polaski Viburnum has set berries. I have afew berries on my Asian Bueaty Viburnum also, in spite of the fact that my Cardinal Candies did not bloom. I hope to add more Lindens of Cultivars I don't currently have yet and will have to look for more Arrowoods to polinate the ones I have.

To WkendWarrior and any other Long Islanders.---

I don't remember if you post on the Metro New York forum so excuse me if you all know this already. I was just rereading some of these posts and you mentioned going to Dee's Nursery in Oceanside. If you feel like taking a nice ride some weekend, there is a fabulous nursery called Peconic River Herb Farm in Calverton, Long Island. That's right by Riverhead at exit 71 off the LIE. I know its a long haul but this is the most fantastic Nursery I have ever visited. If you are used to prices at our local Nassau County Nurseries, then the prices for shrubs and such can't be beat. They have the most interesting things. The place has their own pond, not one of those liner things, but the real deal. They are right next to the river with picnic tables set up so you can sit in the woodsy area by the river and picnic and watch the wildlife. There are demonstration gardens all over the property that have obviously been there for years and are just lovely. The grounds alone are worth the trip.

My trip there in July I bought more Serviceberry shrubs and Winterberries. Last week I went out there and bought Viburnums. Arrowwood Viburnum 'Blue Muffin' and 'Northern Burgandy' plus Doublefile Viburnum 'Shasta'. The Shasta has nice red berries on it now that the local Catbird has already been eating.

Today I found another Species Arrowwood. Lots of nice berries on it. So the Viburnums are really coming along.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peconic River Herb Farm

I am just getting started with some viburnums and find learning about them a tremendous project. I realized after a few weeks of reading that I have Nannyberries and Arrowwood growing wild in the back 1/2 acre behind my fence! I have always loved the nannyberries and wasn't sure what they were. You can be sure the birds knew though. I used to see flocks of waxwings on them in the winter. Thanks for all this info. It has been very helpful.

I am a Viburnum nut myself! I have discovered that in the more open situations, in fields, etc. where they receive the maximum sun all around, nannyberries will grow the most gorgeous shapes!... And that sun exposition will bring better reddish color in the fall.
You may also easily grow them as an excellent small tree.
...But that post reminds me of my next thread......

Rose, I intend to move a few up for my new border. I hope they do well. I am looking forward to watching them grow.

I can't believe how many Viburmuns have gone into my yard since I started this thread and how much I have learned thanks to the folks at Garden Web sharing their knowledge!

I was just noticing that some of the berries on the Species Arrowwoods are getting Blue.

I also have the Count Polaski berries comming along, still green. Plus I was looking at the berry clusters on my V. setigerum. My shrubs are all very young as I planted three last Summer and the rest this Spring. But these are going to be amazing berry producers. The clusters on them now are full and hang down like christmas tree decorations full of green fruit to turn orange later in the year. The setigerum are truely self fruitfull, so thats another plus if someone has a small yard and can only fit one Viburnum in.

Nice fully ripe blue berries on the Arrowwood Viburnums now. Berries are starting to dissapear from the clusters so I am sure some birds have been eating on them, although I haven't actually seen them.

My species arrowwood is blooming again! Only about three bloom clusters but still a nice treat.

Wierd about the second blooming.

I just added a 'Michael Dodge' dilatatum and a 'Chippaweh' bought at the half price sales. They are in glorious fall color unlike any that I had in my yard so far. I also have added a 'Red Feather' Arrowood I mail ordered this fall.

I just can't WAIT until blooms and berries next year!!!!!

Can anyone tell me if v. farreri (a.k.a. v. fragrans) can be grown down here in the hot zone? I've heard about the wonderful fragrance and would like to give it a try.

All the Viburnums here are covered with snow along with everything else. First snowfall of the season here and its a dilly. They keep uping the totall number of inches expected in the forecast. Haven't seen any birds on my berry producing shrubs today but its really nasty out.

The leaves of most of my types of viburnums turned and did the Fall, falling leaf thing. But the ones on my Arrowwod Viburnums stayed green and stayed on until they froze in the deep freeze two days ago.

Spring is soon here and many of the Viburnums have their green leaf buds swelling out for spring. I can't wait to see what blooms and sets berries.

Rita: I feel like I know your garden intimately with all the great posts over the last year or so that I have read. I am excited for you. You should post some pictures some day. I would love to see it! By the way, I just put in another order to NH Nursery. I am looking at all these catalogs and their prices can't be beat. I hope I have the same luck you had with them!

I can recommend NH Nursery to anyone wanting to add bird attracting shrubs for small amounts of money. My shrubs from last year have grown tremendously and lots of things should flower.

I saw V. bodnantense 'Dawn' at Home Depot today. I know this shrub is supposed to be fragrant but I couldn't smell a thing. The label claims fragrant flowers and berries later. The flowers looked so different from Viburnum flowers I was used to. Each flower almost looks like a miniature lilac flower.

So is my nose just not working right? Does anyone get berries? This doesn't look like a berry producer!

I did buy the Dawn Viburnum. Can't help myself.

The first of my viburnums are starting to bloom. Today the first blossoms started opening up on the V. setigerums.

So rita, Give already! It's been over a month...is it fragrant? Or han't it bloomed yer?

If you mean the 'Dawn' Viburnum, I don't know if it will be fragrant or not. It is planted now and should bloom next spring, maybe late winter. We will see then.

As far as frangrant things go, I also planted Winter Honeysuckle. It is a late winter, early spring blooming shrub Honeysuckle that is supposed to be very fragrant. As called 'Fragrant Honeysuckle'. We will see how those do too.

Ha, ha! There are about six blue already ripe berries on my original Species Arrowood Viburum already. It set fruit much more heavily this year than last. I don't know if its because of the pollinating Arrowoods I added or because maybe they just don't set fruit as heavily every year. Unfortunately, the newer species Arrowood, planted to pollinate the other two, does not have a single berry.

More berries getting ripe and turning Blue on the Species Arrowoods. Birds eat the berries as soon as they turn Blue!

So as of now, most of berries still left on my Viburnums are on the Viburnum setigerum. The berry clusters are hanging down in squishy clumps after freezing and thawing cycles. I do have one cluster of Viburnum Opulus berries, the only one I had this year and some V. 'Wentworth' berries.

I had to move my 'Michael Dodge' today as I had planted in in front of another Viburnum (Chipewa) that doesn't grow as tall. So today I changed them around and put the 'Michael Dodge' in back where the Chipewa was and put the Chipewa more forward towards my little 'patio pond' which I have in my shrub border for the birds and critters to use.

Rita: I need you to send me some of those leftover V. setigerum fruits. You name the viburnum you'd want in trade.

The 2005 bloom chart is going full blast. I'll need to figure out a good way to post this information (currently in XL spreadsheet format).

Viburnumvally-- Those fruits were in January. They are long gone now. Send me an e-mail later this year and I will send you some seeds. I know I bought three of my V. setigerum at Fairweather Gardens and two at a local garden center on Long Island. All five are going to flower this year.

HA Ha!! Found both a 'Chicago Lustre' and an 'Autumn Jazz' Arrowood Viburnums at Home Depot today for $6.95 apiece. Couldn't believe my luck. At that price, I can't go wrong. I wasn't looking for Viburnums, I went to buy two flates of annuals but who can get past all the racks of shrubs without looking?

The Dawn Viburnum I bought in 2004 was dead this spring so who knows whats going on there. On another note, both the
'Chicago Lustre' and an 'Autumn Jazz' Arrowood Viburnums from 2005 seem to be doing well although they haven't grown that much.

For all of you vibernum fanciers out there - I want some advice. I want to plant a hedgerow between my house and my neighbors for privacy. I want something that grows fast, that fills in completely during the summer months, that stays pretty narrow (ideally 4-8 ft wide) and grows pretty tall (ideally 12-15 ft tall). I was looking at the "Ovazum" Blackhaw Vibernum and Blackhaw Vibernum in general, as I understand it grows taller than it does wide. I guess that is my real question - What can I put in that grows tall, not wide, and provides privacy? Does not have to be vibernum but I think this is a good place to start. Also, I have read in some spots (arbor day) that Blackhaw Vibernum are slow growers :( . Am I being unrealistic?

Blackhaw viburnum is a fairly slow grower eventually it will get tall. Here from the usda database

Here is a link that might be useful: Blackhaw Characteristics

Hi,

I want to plant edible, non-cultivar viburnums which are native to my local area. These would be: V. lentago (Nannyberry); V. Prunifolium (Blackhaw); & V. trilobum (Cranberrybush). In addition, I would plant V. nudum (Witherod) which is not edible.

QUESTION:

Must I plant a pair of EACH individual specie in order for polination to occur for fruiting, or will they mutually polinate eachother, despite being different species?

Note: I do understand that when they are of the same specie, them must not be too closely related (i.e. two Viburnum lentagos must not come from the same mother plant); I am just wondering if, for instance, V. lentago and V. nudum, etc. could sucessfully polinate eachother.

p.s.: If anyone is growing an American Persimmon or Salix discolor that is greater then 20', please let me know - I'm looking for a full photo beyond the score of what I could find online.

Hi,
I need some experienced advice based on the spread/growth habit of Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry ViburnumÂ).
I want to plant two Viburnum lentago shrubs in my yard - I need two to ensure fruiting. I know that (under optimal conditions, when left naturally as a multiple-trunk shrub as IÂll grow them) Viburnum lentago can reach around 18Â to 20Âtal; IÂm not sure of the spread on a 20Â tall specimen, but I think it would be around 10Â to 15Â?
My situation is this:
I have a single 12Â gap in my landscape and a separate 7Â gap (which is in heavy shade). I could either both shrubs in the 12Â gap or one shrub in the 12Â gap and the other shrub in the 8Â gap.
1. If I grow the two shrubs in the 12 gap (allowed 6 spread each), would they still grow to a tall height? I want them to grow tall for privacy and I read from one source that when their spread is restricted, they do not grow as large  I hope that not as large means not as wide, net not restricting the height.
2. If I grow only one of the two shrubs in the 12Â gap, will the other shrub out-of-view grown in a tight 7Â gap in heavy shade produce too few flowers that not much pollination between the two.
3. If I plant the two in the 12Â gap only 1Â apart, would the two root systems inosculate (fuse, natural graft) so that, in effect, one shrub would be formed that bares flowers from both originals.
4. If I plant the two 4Â apart and give them a little more spread (opening the gap to 15Â total), maybe since they can spread out freely on opposing ends and only have dense mutual shade in between them.
5. Would you recommend I leave one in the 12Â gap and leave the other in the small 7Â shaded spot in the corner of the yard, but remove scion wood from the second to be grafted onto the first? I would hope that grafting viburnum spp is not difficult, although I would imagine that this might require some upkeep since they are always putting out more suckers and perhaps crowding out old ones.
Thanks,
Steve

So, to recap, I need two for cross-pollination for fruiting, and I would like at least one of the two to grow around 18Â tall.