it will not kill it.. but it will ruin it ... google: rejuvenation pruning of shrubs and start a proper renovation ... the problem with pruning at height/distance .. is that 3 to 5 new sprouts will burst.. and as those grow.. it will collapse the whole branch ... and then you will have a bigger mess .. than you started with .. this is a 'run it over with the truck' plant ... you wont kill it, even doing that .. but you should still do it the right way ... ken

By your description it's impossible to tell what type of viburnums you have, but viburnums are not intended to be cut back in the way you describe. If they look bad now, they'll likely look worse after you hack at them. If they're poorly placed and you can't move them, remove them.

Hi.... I have a Viburnum mariesii too. I love them. I planted a small one 2 years ago. I have to say that we had serious drought here in my yard this summer. Probably 4 months with only 2 rainfalls that were measurable. When we were not on water ban, I dragged the hose from one end of the garden to the other. My Viburnum mariesii was wilting all the time. Finally it started showing brown edges on the foliage and right now looks pretty crispy. I really tried to keep it moist, but I was starting out with dry/part shade to begin with, so I am starting to have doubts to whether this was a good choice for me. I am seeing two other shrubs that tolerated everything that was thrown at them and still look good..a Cornus racemosa, a native and a Viburnum Wentworth that has had no more water or sun than the mariesii and hasn't got an ugly leaf on it at this point. Since I already have the shrub, I am trying to decide now, what to do with it. I am considering moving it, but I am having a hard time placing it elsewhere because of it's eventual size and wanting it to grow without pruning. I have one place it might work that is a small improvement over it's current location. I am thinking about whether I can contour the soil around it to create a little depression where the rain will collect to see if that will help keep it more moist. The problem is, I read that it really likes good drainage, so getting drainage and moisture is not easy in my yard. So...if anyone has any suggestions, I would love something new to consider. :-) I think I might try moving it to another location and then if that is not good enough, I probably will give it away. Sadly. pm2

I guess you have these in water. As long as they are rooting I would would just change the water daily until the roots are at least nn inch long, then I would pot them up. Al