Having about 2 dozen of the many Viburnum cultivars planted here on our residential property (1.5 acres) with close up observation over the past 40 years, one needs ample space for many of the Viburnum cultivars as they obtain 10 feet or more in hiegth and width, may I suggest 'carlcephalum' or maybe better?, 'Cayuga.' Carlcephalum becomes almost tree like in size and habit yet the Cayuga has deeper green leaves, a tighter habit, also abundant blooms which have heavenly aroma, and good orange fall color. If you wait a few years, Cayaga also gets almost as big as its parent Carlcephalum as Cayuga is up to 10 feet tall and about as wide. I do not have take yet on 'Nantucket' as we have only a root cutting to put out this spring. 'Nantucket' not yet available commercially in this area; however, the reports on 'Nantucket' are full of promise. We'll see how it prospers, or not, in zone 5b (here). And, yes, we also have about 5 or 6 of the Beauty Bushes as they were already here when we arrived in 1968 to inhabit and enjoy the property. They get very tall and must be severely trimmed back about every 15 years or so to rejuvenate. The Beauty Bushes are fanatastic in the spring--real show stoppers with the cascading fountain effect of pink-white blooms and rather fragrant. Yes, they are leggy and rather common in summer yet provide marvelously good screening effect and excellent backdrop for out-in-front beds.

Hi Laceyvail,I did tease the root ball apart when planted this shrub.It put on quite a spectaculcar display last Spring. I had a closer look at the leaves and I have now determined that it may may have been aphids causing the damage.I have now transfered it to a very large pot on my deck to recover.Hopefully I can replant it as a healthy shrub back into the garden in the fall

Those are awfully large plants to have come out of 5 gallon pots. I think you have an issue with how well (or poorly) your shrubs are rooting out into the soil volume surrounding the original soil-less media of the container. The roots were likely incredibly pot-bound, and unless you went to extreme measures to change this condition, then the shrub is mainly taking up moisture and nutrients only from that original container soil volume. That's a problem, and this condition can express itself as chlorotic (yellowish) foliage and meager new stem growth primarily because the plants are having difficulty absorbing enough moisture and nutrients from this limited soil volume. New roots need to colonize wider soil volumes so that more moisture and nutrients can be exploited. You can apply granular and/or liquid fertilizer to attempt to increase these plants' nutrient levels. You can probably "green them up" pretty easily, in the short term. Long term, I'd consider lifting the plants during the dormant season, loosen the root systems, and replant into a well-tilled garden bed. These viburnums will thank you. You may well have some insect pests present (scale, etc.) but those are most likely secondary pathogens. Take a sample of your plant (24-36" section of branch) to your local Cooperative Extension Service office for diagnostics. Post-script question: where do you garden? I am in central KY, zone 5b/6a. Viburnum carlesii are not great performers here in summer heat/humidity; they do much better in zone 5 and north. Viburnum x juddii and some of the other hybrid clones with V. carlesii as one parent do much better, with genetics bred into them from more southerly species of viburnum. Hot summers can lead to more foliar problems and increased insect pest activities, too, due to stressed plants.

I think deciduous just means that it looses its leaves in the fall/winter, and that's okay with me. Some deciduous shrubs (such as Hydrangea Endless Summer) die back to the ground every year in my zone 5 garden, and others (such as Hydrangea Paniculata) lose their leaves when the frosts set in, but start leafing out on the old wood in the spring. Because they'll be going in such a prominent spot, I definitely want something that doesn't die all the way to the ground. I've seen some in my area and they leaf out from their old wood in the spring, so I'm not worried that they'll die back to the ground and leave me with empty looking planting beds until summer (which is what I'm currently dealing with). I just haven't seen any planted in rows as a foundation planting, so I'd love to hear from anyone who has a hedge of them, especially north facing.