This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Cornus Sanguinea and Viburnum Opulus size reduction
Hi guys,
One of each of the above in a very old garden, neither have been pruned so are both 10ft wide and high. Is there a way of reducing the height and breadth of both before they take over the lawn? RHS site says the viburnum doesn't need pruning but this one does as it's too large. And I'm confused by the cornus as I thought they were usually smaller and pruned regularly for the stem colour but this one has been left alone. The stems are dark maroon so maybe not sanguinea? Any help on techniques and timings would be gratefully appreciated. Many thanks.
0
Posts
Both of these will come back if hard pruned in winter. I'd take them back to a stump.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I prune my viburnum when the flowers finish. They are pretty tough so you can take off a bit each year or a lot when you feel like it. I have never taken it to a stump, though. Conditions in my garden are harsh and nothing, even buddleia, can cope with that sort of treatment. If the cornus is the sort grown for stem colour, I would cut out about half the old wood this winter and the rest next year, giving the shrub air and structure and reducing it to the scale you want. If it is the other sort - I forget the name - they are more delicate and you should proceed with caution.
I was just getting confident until your last line Posy "if it's the other sort...!". What's the other sort? Now I'm nervous it may be the other sort.
The ones you see most commonly are Cornus kousa and Cornus florida. They are grown for their rather unusual flowers and many have autumn leaf colour. They don't have coloured stems and you don't get masses of stems growing up from the soil in a thicket, they are more tree-like. They are really pretty and quite expensive, too, but easy to tell from the winter stems sort so don't worry!
Phew. Thanks Posy and nutcutlet.
Cornus alba is easily cut hard, but I find sanginea is best done 1/3 each Spring. They can sometimes sulk if the whole bush is cut back as hard as one would with C alba.
Cut 1/3 of the oldest stems to the ground each spring and you create a cycle of always having older, and younger wood.
Thanks Hostafan1. Having looked online in the meantime I'm pretty convinced it's actually Cornus alba 'Kesselringii'. I hope I've spelt that correctly. Do you think the same pruning techniques apply?
A photo would help jandh, then we can see which one you have got
In the sticks near Peterborough
Kesselringii is almost black , does that match yours?
Bear with me, I have one but it takes me a sec to work out how to download photos.