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Sickly Viburnum Tinus

didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
in Problem solving
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the leaves on my well established viburnum were wilting so I gave it a LOT of water and we have had a bit of rain since.  But today I noticed that all of the leaves on one side have died and are still wilting on the other.  I had a scrape of the bark on the dying side and it is green underneath.  Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be and if it can be saved? 

Looks dead on the right but still some green on the left.

The base of the shrub.

Close up of the dead side and dying side.

Bark on the 'dead' side green underneath.

Close up of the leaf on the dead/dying side.

Close up of leaves on the still green side.

Any ideas?

Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.

Posts

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Hi Didy
    My V. Tinus has gone a bit like that a couple of times - when it's been very dry or wind scorched or when it's been very cold. The Beast from the East scorched it very badly a couple of years ago. It also sheds a lot of brown leaves every year - but that's usually in late spring.

    You're not too far from me and we have had a rather hot spell plus we had about 6 weeks without any decent rain.  A few of my shrubs suffered as a result.

    If you can't think of any other cause (eg could anybody have sprayed a herbicide near the bush?) I'd put it down to drought. Watering will obviously help but, if it's too unsightly, you can cut V Tinus back very hard to a decent shape and it'll come good again - usually thicker and more vigorous than before.

    The other culprit (and I'll whisper this) could be Honey Fungus. I hope it's not. Do you know if you have it in your garden? Viburnums are very susceptible...

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    Thanks @Topbird.  I'm dreading honey fungus - my NDN had some lilacs near there on her side which she claimed had it and had them all taken out, but she is prone to having mature plants removed (including a lovely boston ivy that grew over our outhouse roof and looked gorgeous in the autumn).  There was a lot of cleavers just the other side of the fence on her side and I'm wondering if she (or her family) sprayed them.  I've contacted a local tree surgeon who knows all there is to know about shrubs and trees (and is very into conservation) so hopefully he'll have time to pop round and have a look.  I don't want to lose it but if its the dreaded then of course it will have to go.  And I'll ask Paul what I can plant there instead - if anything.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Fingers crossed it's not HF🙂
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Our elderly Viburnum tinus has gone through the same issues.
    We cut back the struggling sections and thought that the new growth would be ok but it looks like the plant is dying.
    We have certainly had our moneys worth as it must be at least 35 years old.
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    Mine is about 18 years old.  I've just had the hose on it for over an hour - I'll see if that does anything.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    It's honey fungus.  :'(  My tree surgeon friend will be round on Thursday to dig it out - and we also discovered that the root of a tree that died suddenly a few years ago is also infected with it, so he will dig that out too.  I have another couple of stumps in the back so now I know what to look for I'll examine those.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Oh 'eck, what a bummer @didyw :'(

    Mind you, @nutcutlet who has posted regularly on this forum in the past, has honey fungus in her beautiful garden and gardens with it really successfully .... she's a neighbour of MIL's so we sometimes pop in for a coffee and chat, and it really is a lovely garden which she opens as part of the National Gardens Yellow Book scheme. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Dovefromabove said:
    Oh 'eck, what a bummer @didyw :'(

    Mind you, @nutcutlet who has posted regularly on this forum in the past, has honey fungus in her beautiful garden and gardens with it really successfully .... she's a neighbour of MIL's so we sometimes pop in for a coffee and chat, and it really is a lovely garden which she opens as part of the National Gardens Yellow Book scheme. 
    Send her my best wishes. I miss her.
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Will do  @Hostafan1 :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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