Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii): when and how to prune

Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii): when to prune it?

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Hardly ever needed. If you do prune, do it in June, straight after flowering.

What else to prune in those months? June

Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii): how to prune it?

1. Remove dead, damaged and crossing stems.
2. Shorten a few over-long stems to keep the rounded shape.
3. On an old, bare shrub, take out one or two old stems at the base every few years.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: June.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in June can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) flowers in April–May, when it attracts bees.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Guelder rose
• Japanese snowball
• Wayfaring tree
• Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
• Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum × burkwoodii)
• Fragrant snowball (Viburnum × carlcephalum)

Plant profile: Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) · Pruning calendar and basic rules