The Best Time and Technique for Harvesting Arrowwood Viburnum Shrubs

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) is a popular landscape shrub known for its white spring blooms, glossy foliage, and dense growth habit While viburnums require relatively low maintenance, proper harvesting technique is key to keeping arrowwood shrubs healthy, shapely, and productive year after year In this article, we’ll discuss when and how to harvest arrowwood viburnum to get the most out of these versatile shrubs.

Why Harvest Arrowwood Viburnums?

Routine harvesting helps maintain arrowwood viburnum’s form, encourages new growth, and produces material for propagation or crafts. Here are some specific benefits of harvesting arrowwood viburnum shrubs

• Removes overmature, damaged, and diseased wood
• Thins out congested areas and opens up the center of the shrub
• Shapes and contains fast, leggy growth
• Renews old wood by stimulating new basal shoots
• Provides cuttings for propagating new plants
• Creates material for floral arrangements, wreaths, or other crafts

By taking out older, less productive stems each year, you encourage the shrub to keep producing vigorous new growth. Regular harvesting keeps arrowwood viburnum shapely, healthy, and flowering abundantly.

When to Harvest Arrowwood Viburnum

Early spring, just before new growth emerges, is the optimal time to harvest arrowwood viburnum. Here’s why:

• The shrub is still dormant, so pruning won’t stimulate new growth that could get damaged by spring frosts.
• With leaves off, it’s easier to see and access inner branches that need removal.
• Wounds seal quickly to prevent disease before the growing season starts.
• The shrub has maximum time to regenerate new shoots before summer.

Pruning in early spring sets up the shrub for a season of robust new growth. Arrowwood viburnum can also be trimmed after flowering in early summer if needed to shape or contain growth. However, stick to minor shaping at this time to avoid removing too much of the current season’s growth.

Signs your arrowwood viburnum is due for rejuvenation pruning:

• Leggy, overgrown branches sticking out beyond the shrub’s frame
• Congested interior with small leaves and little air circulation
• Dead, damaged, or rubbing branches
• Little flowering or fruit production compared to previous years

If your arrowwood viburnum exhibits these issues, early spring before bud break is the time to get it back in shape.

How to Harvest Arrowwood Viburnum

When harvesting arrowwood viburnums, the goal is to remove around one-third of the oldest, woodiest stems at ground level each year for three consecutive years. This staggered rejuvenation pruning encourages new growth without sacrificing too much of the shrub at once.

Here are some tips for harvesting arrowwood viburnum successfully:

1. Remove Older Interior and Vertical Stems

• Identify the oldest branches growing from the interior and vertically from the top. These overmature stems crowd out new growth.

• Remove at least one-third of the oldest, woodiest stems to their point of origin at ground level.

• Favor removing vertical, leggy branches and congested interior stems.

2. Shape the Canopy

• Stand back periodically to check that you are maintaining a rounded, mounded form.

• Remove any branches extending beyond the shrub’s natural shape.

• Create an open, vase-like center to allow light and air penetration.

3. Make Proper Pruning Cuts

• Use clean, sharp bypass pruners to cut stems at an angle parallel to the ground.

• Avoid leaving stubs by cutting to the branch collar or to ground level.

4. Remove Trimmings

• Disinfect pruning tools between cuts to prevent disease transmission.

• Remove all trimmings from the site to prevent pest and disease issues.

• Trimmings can go in yard waste for municipal pickup.

5. Fertilize After Pruning

• Apply a balanced fertilizer in early spring after harvesting stems.

• Fertilizing helps the plant recover quickly and produce vigorous new shoots.

Follow these techniques and arrowwood viburnum will reward you with a flush of new spring growth. Continue thinning out old stems over a three year rejuvenation cycle to maintain a healthy, productive shrub.

What to Do With Harvested Stems

The straight, flexible stems removed when harvesting arrowwood viburnum have many uses, both ornamental and practical. Here are some ideas:

• Root cuttings for propagation. Take 6-8″ cuttings from young, 1-2 year old stems. Remove leaves from the bottom half of each cutting. Dip the bottom in rooting hormone and plant in potting mix.

• Craft wreaths, swags, or flower arrangements. The pliable stems are perfect for winding into rustic dried arrangements. Add seed pods, evergreen boughs, and ribbon for holiday decor.

• Weave baskets. Soak stems in water until pliable, then weave into small baskets or trays.

• Make plant supports or trellises. Bend and attach stems into supports for vines, pole beans, or climbing flowers.

• Compost the trimmings. Chop the stems to speed decomposition and add to a compost bin. The high carbon content makes excellent compost.

• Use as kindling. Chop into small pieces to use as tinder for starting fires or barbecues. The dried stems light quickly.

With so many uses, you’ll look forward to harvesting armloads of arrowwood viburnum stems each spring. Share cuttings with gardening friends so everyone can propagate beautiful new shrubs.

Signs It’s Time for Another Harvest

To keep your arrowwood viburnum looking its best year after year, continue the rejuvenation pruning over a three year cycle. Here are some signs it’s time for another round of harvesting:

• New growth from the previous season has become overlong and leggy
• Flowering and fruit production is declining
• Dense interior branches are shading out lower leaves again
• Shape is becoming irregular, with branches extending beyond the desired outline

Repeated harvesting removes more of the oldest, woodiest stems each year. Gradually renewing the shrub stimulates abundant new basal shoots to form a shapely, flowering, fruiting shrub. With proper technique, arrowwood viburnum can be pruned to maintain a compact size and form for decades.

Benefits of Regular Arrowwood Viburnum Harvesting

• Rejuvenates old shrubs by stimulating new growth from the base
• Removes dead, damaged, and diseased branches
• Opens up the interior to light and air
• Maintains a neat, rounded form
• Encourages lush foliage and prolific blooms
• Provides material for cuttings, propagation, and crafts
• Keeps plants healthy, vigorous, and productive

By learning the optimal timing and techniques for harvesting arrowwood viburnum, you can turn overgrown, congested shrubs into specimens with abundant flowers and berries that attract pollinators and birds to your garden. The simple act of thoughtful pruning transforms your landscape’s viburnums into assets that enhance curb appeal, benefit wildlife, and create enjoyment for years to come.