pruning a viburnum grown as a standard

Question

i have an evergreen viburnum grown as a standard so it needs to be pruned to avoid becoming top heavy.however, when i pruned it there were no flowers the next year so i left it until it bloomed this spring but now need to prune again but don’t want to lose next years flowers so when and how should i prune?

Answer 1

Pruning should be done immediately after flowering, before next year’s buds are made. It is acceptable to prune in late winter. If you had a hard winter, late freeze or removed an excessive amount last year, it may have stressed the viburnum and killed buds. In general, don’t remove more than 30-50% of leaf surface in any one growing-season pruning. Viburnum tinus seems to be most effectively grown as a standard.