PRUNING

Question

when should I prune a nannyberry viburnam? If I prune after flowering will I lose berries. should I prune in early spring instead? should I remove suckers? Thanks

Answer 1

You can safely prune the viburnum in late winter/very early spring or right after it blooms. If you prune it now, you will have fewer blooms and hence, fewer berries. As you note, if you prune after blooming, there will be berry loss. On the other hand, removing crossing/touching branches, dead and old wood will invigorate the shrub. Old wood produces fewer flowers than young wood. The more sun that reaches interior branches, the more blooms you will have next year. As to suckers, whether to remove them depends on the look you want to achieve. In a garden setting, these are usually removed and allowed to grow if the shrub is part of a naturalized area. If doing heavy pruning to rejuvenate an old shrub, some suckers may be left to replace the pruned branches although new branches will break from the pruning site. In general though, removing suckers allows better light and air penetration which promotes a healthy shrub.