when do vibirnum wake up?

[lbfoss]

I bought a snowball vibirnum last Sept. It kept all its leaves, but slowly they have sagged, darkened in color but not fallen off. I am wondering, when do these guys wake up and what happens. Will the leaves suddenly revert to upright? Will there be new growth at the leaf junctions? Daily I inspect it, nothing seems to be going on???? The tips look just as they did last fall, they aren't longer, they aren't green, they haven't budged a bit from their shape when I bought it.
Any thoughts on this?

[Tom]

Linda,

I may have bad news for you - but lets wait and see. Blooms form on new growth from last year, and buds begin to form early in spring (jan-mar) and blooms come in April. Mine will be in full bloom in another week or two.

Normally Chinese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum) is simi-evergreen, at least here in the south. Those leaves that drop will still be partially green when they fall, and then turn brown.

I have found that when the leaves turn brown, and stay on the stem during propagation, that I have lost that cuttings almost always. Sometime there is an exception, where a lower node will put forth new growth, but that is rare. If you scratch the stem and it is green, there is hope. But if it is black, that stem is dead. The thing is, it could still be alive somewhere, and it won't cost much to wait and see.

These plants are immune to most problems, but do resist being transplanted, if they are not kept well watered during the first few months of planting.

I'm about to show you one of mine (the source of all my cuttings) that I hope will inspire you to not give up on this great plant. They are easy to grow, and make a knockout show in Apr. You can see that the buds are a pale green.

[lbfoss]

wow, mine doesn't look a thing like yours. It hasn't move a whisker since I bought it, except that the leaves have all drooped. The stems are green when I scratch them, but nothing else is.....no budding, aw I think I have lost it!! I will wait and be patient, but I was sure hoping for some spring activity by now!

[sue salley]

Tom, That is beautiful. One of my favorites. Please post another picture when it is fully bloomed out.
If the stems are still green don't give up hope. Mine is just starting to bud out.Zone 6b. I think You are a little north of me Linda since I am in NE Tn.(3 # miles from Virginia line).

[lbfoss]

I did notice that I have two new leaves down close to the ground, but there isn't a hint of a bud on it, just pairs of leaf buds on the ends of every branch. I don't think it will bloom this year.... but I will wait

[Tom]

Don't give up on it, as long as it shows life, it will recover. Hardly anything bothers them.

This one, pictured earlier, is only about 6 years old. It is roughly 7' tall and as wide. The white azalea's in front are about waiste high. I have another picture that may put things in perspective a little better.

[Tom]

This closeup shot will give some perspective on the size of the individual flower heads.
Did I say before, I love these plants? There is another one, about half the size of this one over near the house. It's in a bit more shade, and is lagging behind a bit, but the flowers will last a good bit longer than this one.

[lbfoss]

Well, it is alive, all the tips have pairs of leaves that are beginning to expand. But I don't think there is any hope of any buds this year, nothing but leaves it would seem. Still, it is alive, so that makes me happy. How does one feed it? My azaleas are just about to bloom, so we are later than you. Still, no buds I am thinking, so no flowers this year!!
Thanks Tom

[lbfoss]

Ah Ha! I have a leather leaf vibirnum, it would seem. The new leaves have unfurled, not a hint of a blossom so i won't know how it would look this season! But at least I haven't lost it.

My Dad got carried away with the weed eater and took off a branch of my baby crape myrtle, I should have tried to graft it back on, but I didn't think of it until later.... Oh well!

[lbfoss]

So now, this nice little? leatherleaf vibirnum is definitely sprouting out. When might I hope for blooms, not until next spring? I need to trim it a bit, should I do it now as it hasn't ever bloomed for me and doesn't look as if it is interested in doing it any time soon. Do I feed it regularly?
Thanks, Tom

[Tom]

If you bought a snowball, it is not a leather leaf. It could be a Chinese or Japanese snowball. The Chinese is the one with the very large flowers, and the Japanese has a lot of tennis ball size flowers. The leather leaf has a few flowers that appear at the ends of some branches, but they are not a big show, but it has great foliage. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what kind of flowers you get.

You planted it last year, and it declined to a point where you thought it had died. That makes me think that it was starving for water. Now that you are getting some growth, I would give it a shot of root stimulator, something like "Upstart" transplant liquid. If you don't have it, use something with a higher middle number (6-12-6) or something in that general relationship. That will build the root system, so that it can support top growth later. Remember “Up - Down - All around” for the N-P-K designation of those three numbers

If you use the upstart, wait about a month and give it a good balanced general fertilizer. I like Scott’s Nursery Special, three month time release. No pruning after July 15, no feeding after the end of July.

Once established, you may want to cut back on the fertilizer, because those things can really grow once they get started.

[lbfoss]

Looking at the receipt, it isn't a snowball, it is a leather leaf and I was told it would put on a great show. Your comments make me think otherwise, and I am kind of irritated, but I don't need too big a bush in this spot, so perhaps even a snowball would not have been the correct choice in any case. At least it is growing and appears healthy. I guess I will not get any blooms from it this year. Perhaps next year......

Thanks, Tom

[Tom]

Ah, glad to get that cleared up. Here is some interesting reading if you have not already found it.


http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_d5fd.html

[lbfoss]

Happy Birthday, Tom.
My vibirnum is growing nicely, no floweres, just lots of leaves. I think it will get bigger than anticipated, but isn't going to flower this year, I think. All the fertilizer and water has definitely helped it grow and fill in, just not bloom..... Maybe next spring!!

[Tom]

Most flowering vibirnums will put on a few flowers all year round in the south. They remain evergreen way down here. If you were expecting a snowball, you will be disappointed in the flowers of the leather leaf. But the leather leaf is a much prettier shrub. Both tend to spread at the ground level, and have an unstructured growth habit, and will get up to 10 - 15 feet tall and 6 - 8 feet wide, especially if you continue to fertilize it.