Alright, so today I’m gonna walk you through how I tackled pruning my doublefile viburnum. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do, and finally got around to it. Honestly, it was a bit of a learning experience, but I think I did alright.
First things first, I grabbed my tools. I’m talking loppers, hand pruners, and a small saw for the thicker branches. Gotta make sure they’re sharp too! Dull tools just make the job harder, and you risk damaging the plant.
I started by just stepping back and taking a good look at the shrub. Where was it overgrown? What branches were crossing or rubbing? Any dead or diseased stuff? That’s the stuff that’s gotta go first.
Then I started hacking away – carefully, of course! I began with the dead and diseased branches. Snip, snip, gone! It’s kinda satisfying, to be honest. Gets rid of the clutter and lets the good parts shine.
Next up were the crossing and rubbing branches. These are important to remove because they can create wounds that let pests and diseases in. I tried to choose the weaker or less well-placed branch to cut. You gotta think about the shape you want the shrub to have.
After that, I focused on opening up the center of the shrub. Doublefile viburnums are supposed to have a nice, layered look, and that means letting light and air in. So I thinned out some of the denser areas, taking out branches that were growing inwards.
Now, here’s where I made a slight mistake. I got a little carried away and pruned a bit too much off one side. It’s not a huge deal, but now it’s slightly asymmetrical. I’ll need to keep an eye on it and maybe prune the other side a bit more next year to even it out.
Overall, though, I think it turned out pretty good. The viburnum is definitely less dense, and you can see its lovely layered form a lot better now. Plus, it’s healthier without all that dead and crossing stuff.
Here’s a quick recap of what I did:
- Got my tools ready.
- Looked at the shrub and planned my attack.
- Removed dead and diseased branches.
- Cut out crossing and rubbing branches.
- Thinned out the center for better air and light.
- Tried not to over-prune (mostly succeeded!).
I still need to clean up all the clippings, but that’s the easy part. The important thing is the viburnum is looking good, and I learned a few things along the way. Maybe next year I won’t get so scissor-happy on one side!
Alright, that’s my doublefile viburnum pruning adventure. Hope it helps if you’re planning on doing the same!
