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Mystery tree
Hello. Can anyone shed any light on a puzzling tree I have in my border? I think it is a viburnum - but I'm not sure. This is my second year in a 3-acre garden and I can't quite remember what this particular tree did last year. I have a feeling it flowered twice - differently - as if once as it was meant to and once from shoots growing from below a graft union. I would say one flowering was your standard yellow viburnum and the other something more "special"-looking, but I honestly can't remember - last year's gardening is all a bit of a blur with so many plants to get to know!
A few days ago when I was weeding beneath it I snipped through a lot of vigorous twining shoots that looked like they might be suckers - I didn't want the root stock to "take over" and the "proper/special" tree to be lost. But today, coming with my tripod ladder to untwine and remove those severed stems from the canopy (and that of the neighbouring tree) I am even more confused. Because there are similar vigorous twining shoots coming off from higher branches, not only from below the possible graft union.
They are all young shoots - none of the old growth is so long and twining. All these shoots twine around the older stems and each other and are very difficult to remove without damage.
What am I dealing with here? And should I be taking out all these twisting shoots or leaving them all be? Any ideas?
A few days ago when I was weeding beneath it I snipped through a lot of vigorous twining shoots that looked like they might be suckers - I didn't want the root stock to "take over" and the "proper/special" tree to be lost. But today, coming with my tripod ladder to untwine and remove those severed stems from the canopy (and that of the neighbouring tree) I am even more confused. Because there are similar vigorous twining shoots coming off from higher branches, not only from below the possible graft union.
They are all young shoots - none of the old growth is so long and twining. All these shoots twine around the older stems and each other and are very difficult to remove without damage. What am I dealing with here? And should I be taking out all these twisting shoots or leaving them all be? Any ideas? 0
Posts
I'd say don't do any radical pruning until you're sure what you're dealing with. This could be one for @nutcutlet...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Young stems of wisteria and laburnum look pretty similar, Freddie's Dad - I'm pretty sure it's the latter - though I agree a standard wisteria would be a lovely thing. My friend has one that is glorious.
I will hold fire for a couple of weeks till it flowers and see if the situation becomes clearer. I should say that the previous owner of the garden had a taste for the unusual (and a budget to match) so there are some weird and wonderful things in my garden - which is great, but every so often it stumps me, as now!