How to Prune Blue Muffin Viburnum
Blue muffin viburnums are naturally compact with a rounded silhouette. Because of how they grow, viburnums don't need pruning every year. Prune them to maintain shape and for the health of the shrub. Be careful, though, as blue muffin viburnums produce flowers from buds formed the previous summer. This means pruning after mid-summer will remove the buds needed to form flowers the next year. Do not remove all of the faded flower bracts. Leave some of the flowers intact so the shrub will produce the wonderful blue berries for which it is named.
- Blue muffin viburnums are naturally compact with a rounded silhouette.
- Leave some of the flowers intact so the shrub will produce the wonderful blue berries for which it is named.
Prune your blue muffin viburnums in early summer when the flowers begin to fade. This will help to maintain their shape.
Examine your blue muffin viburnum to ensure that it has a rounded shape with branches all the same length. If the viburnum has the correct shape with growth, it need not be pruned.
Cut back uneven growth to just above a strong bud or node, the greenish bump on the branches where new growth emerges.
Prune to maintain your blue muffin viburnum's health by removing dead, diseased or broken branches. Do this any time of the year and make the cuts 3 to 4 inches into healthy wood.
- Prune your blue muffin viburnums in early summer when the flowers begin to fade.
- Examine your blue muffin viburnum to ensure that it has a rounded shape with branches all the same length.
Prune The Blue Muffin Plant?
Clearing out damaged, dead or diseased branches can be done at any time of the year. This is also a good time to clip away water sprouts -- vertical growth from the main branches or from the base of the Blue Muffin. In that case, reducing its height and shaping it may be necessary. Don’t wait too long, as pruning late in the summer may remove the buds that will bloom next season. Cut each stem just above a leaf node. Repeat the process the following spring and again the spring after that. Long-handled loppers, or lopping shears work well when cutting stems and branches from 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
- Clearing out damaged, dead or diseased branches can be done at any time of the year.
- This is also a good time to clip away water sprouts -- vertical growth from the main branches or from the base of the Blue Muffin.
Related Articles
References
- Missouri Botanical Gardens; Growing Requirements for Blue Muffin Viburnum
- Fine Gardening; Ken Twombly; Viburnums are Versatile Shrubs
- North Carolina State University; Pruning Shrubs
- Proven Winners: Blue Muffin
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Viburnum Dentatum "Christom" Blue Muffin
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Viburnum
- The American Horticulural Society Pruning and Training; Christopher Brickell
Resources
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