Thanks all...first ...I checked the "stems" of the bush and they really are more like tree trunks.They are about 2 inches around at least.There are some new green stems growing that had a few flowers on them...do I leave these ones alone?They are kinda aiming to fill in the one side that is pretty empty.All the flowers are now brown so I think now is the time to do anything right?The roots of this bush are out into the grass pretty far, but I have been making sure that it gets at least two gallons of water unless it rains.I have'nt put any other stuff on the bush...should I and if so ...what?I dont have much experience gardening....this is our first house (and the last until the kids move out!)I never had a garden before or trees and shrubs so I am completely in the dark on these issues.The house was empty for about fifty years until we bought it so the bush had no help at all.I really love this bush and people actually stop to look at it,so I want to "fix" it if I can.Thanks for any help!

I grow arrow-wood viburnum as a privacy hedge. The best thing about arrow-wood is that they grow very upright and they get about 10 feet tall. They require no maintenance because they are the perfect shape and size to function as a tall living fence. You may have to remove some suckers, but I have not found them to sucker prolifically. So far, after 8 years, I have never felt the need to remove any suckers as they are insignificantly growing under the base of the hedgerow. I have my arrow-woods in a shady location where they get very little dabble sun. They are not as dense in the shade, but, depending what you are trying to screen, for most things they should be dense enough. I'm screening out a neighbor. I'm not sure if I would use this same plant if it were a busy highway. Remember, shrubs grown in the shade will always be more open in density, in spite of this, I've found that this shrub is still very effective as a screen. Be careful not to plant only one clone of arrow-wood, as they will produce less berries. Viburnums need cross-pollination of uniquely different DNA to produce berries in abundance. Depending on the length of your privacy fence, you may just need one other uniquely different arrow-wood in close proximity to achieve cross-pollination. Arrow-wood grows beautiful sky blue berry clusters that the birds love! I have not found the berries to be messy, as they are tiny and firm rather than juicy. Species arrow-wood grown from seed will always produce abundant berries, because they are not cloned vegetatively in the trade. For the most upright variety, choose carefully as some varieties are bred to be fuller. Arrow-wood is named so, due to it's straight twigs which were were ideal for making arrows. As a bonus, arrow-wood provides a decent color show in the fall.

I just haven't been posting on the shrubs or wildlife garden forums because I rarely go here now. These used to be my favorite forums but it seems like not much goes on around here since a bunch of people left gardenweb afew years ago when it changed. I grow roses now so am at the rose forums everyday as I started roses three years ago. I know before I got the shrub areas of my yard done, I was not interested in anything like roses as I wanted a yard to attract backyard songbirds and butterflies. As these areas started to grow in I thought it looked so nice but what I thought I needed was some color for that punch that I didn't have after the azaelas finished blooming. And I have about forty azaelas. So I redid a perrenial garden that wasn't looking like what I wanted into a rose garden. It looks smashing. I spray the roses only with a fungicide, so birds find plenty of bugs here, even on the roses and no birds or bees are harmed here. Butterfly attracting plants like milkweed, purple coneflowers, mexican sunflowers, Joe Pye weeds and so on are still here just like they used to be. And I have lots of fruit here like cherry trees (5), Mulberry tree, lots and lots of Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants, gooseberries which are supposed to be for people but I never net anything so the birds get more than their fair share. I now have house wrens nesting in my backyard for the first time and had chicadees nesting for the past three years. Saw my first rabbit in my yard ever this spring. My yard is very cottage garden as I love a jumble of things.

Hi, I need some experienced advice based on the spread/growth habit of Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry ViburnumÂ). I want to plant two Viburnum lentago shrubs in my yard - I need two to ensure fruiting. I know that (under optimal conditions, when left naturally as a multiple-trunk shrub as IÂll grow them) Viburnum lentago can reach around 18 to 20Âtal; IÂm not sure of the spread on a 20 tall specimen, but I think it would be around 10 to 15Â? My situation is this: I have a single 12 gap in my landscape and a separate 7 gap (which is in heavy shade). I could either both shrubs in the 12 gap or one shrub in the 12 gap and the other shrub in the 8 gap. 1. If I grow the two shrubs in the 12 gap (allowed 6 spread each), would they still grow to a tall height? I want them to grow tall for privacy and I read from one source that when their spread is restricted, they do not grow as large  I hope that not as large means not as wide, net not restricting the height. 2. If I grow only one of the two shrubs in the 12 gap, will the other shrub out-of-view grown in a tight 7 gap in heavy shade produce too few flowers that not much pollination between the two. 3. If I plant the two in the 12 gap only 1 apart, would the two root systems inosculate (fuse, natural graft) so that, in effect, one shrub would be formed that bares flowers from both originals. 4. If I plant the two 4 apart and give them a little more spread (opening the gap to 15 total), maybe since they can spread out freely on opposing ends and only have dense mutual shade in between them. 5. Would you recommend I leave one in the 12 gap and leave the other in the small 7 shaded spot in the corner of the yard, but remove scion wood from the second to be grafted onto the first? I would hope that grafting viburnum spp is not difficult, although I would imagine that this might require some upkeep since they are always putting out more suckers and perhaps crowding out old ones. Thanks, Steve So, to recap, I need two for cross-pollination for fruiting, and I would like at least one of the two to grow around 18 tall.