How to Grow and Care for Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowwood Viburnum Care

This popular shrub is easy to care for and versatile. Here are the main care requirements for growing arrowwood viburnum:

• Choose a spot that receives full to partial sun (partial in hotter climates).
• Plant in loamy, moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH.
• Water when the soil begins to dry out; some drought is tolerated.
• Cut back suckers as they grow to prevent spreading.
• Fertilize annually in the spring with balanced, slow-release fertilizer or compost.

Light

Arrowwood viburnum grows well in full sunlight to partial shade, meaning it needs at least roughly 4 hours of direct sunlight on most days. In hot climates, shade from the strong afternoon sun is ideal. Too little sun can impede flowering.

Soil

Arrowwood viburnum prefers a loamy, well-drained soil and does best in an acidic soil pH. It can tolerate a range of soil types, including clay soil.

Water

Arrowwood viburnum needs at least a moderate amount of soil moisture, though mature plants have some drought tolerance. They also can handle occasional flooding. Keep young shrubs well-watered, and continue to give established plants water whenever the soil begins to dry out.

Temperature and Humidity

The shrubs prefer temperate conditions, though they have fairly good heat and cold tolerance within their growing zones. Arrowwood viburnum should be watered well in very hot weather to minimize plant stress, and these plants need protection if temperatures will be unseasonably cold to prevent foliage damage. Humidity typically isn’t an issue for these shrubs.

Fertilizer

To encourage healthy growth and profuse flowering, apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer to arrowwood viburnum in the spring. It also can be beneficial to mix compost into the soil around your shrub.

Types of Arrowwood Viburnum

Popular cultivars of arrowwood viburnum include:

• V. dentatum ‘CA Hildebrants’ is a more compact cultivar that grows to about four feet tall.
• V. dentatum ‘Moonglow’ offers domed, white flowers and has particularly shiny leaves.
• V. dentatum var. deamii ‘SMVDBL’ ALL THAT GLITTERS® is a landscape-ready, compact version of arrowwood viburnum that must be accompanied by its ALL THAT GLOWS® counterpart for pollination.
• V. dentatum var. deamii ‘SMVDBL’ ALL THAT GLOWS® is a landscape-ready, compact version of arrowwood viburnum that must be accompanied by its ALL THAT GLITTERS® counterpart for pollination.

Pruning

Arrowwood viburnum shrubs don’t need extensive pruning. Right after the plant is done flowering, prune any stems necessary to maintain the shrub’s shape. Avoid taking off more than a third of the shrub’s overall size. Remove any dead, damaged, or diseased portions of the shrub whenever you spot them.

Propagating Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowwood viburnum can be propagated via softwood or hardwood cuttings. Softwood cuttings can be taken in the spring or early summer, while hardwood cuttings should be taken during the winter dormant season or early spring just before the plant begins actively growing again. Here’s how:

1. For softwood cuttings, take a cutting of a vigorous branch between 4 and 6 inches in length using clean gardening shears. Remove leaves from the lower third. For hardwood cuttings, choose a strong stem and cut 8 to 10 inches of it with your shears, then strip the leaves from the bottom half and make sure to include at least a few leaf nodes.
2. Fill 4-inch pots with a moist mixture of potting mix and make a small hole in the center of the mix.
3. Dip the stem in rooting hormone. Plant the cutting in the pot.
4. Cover the cutting with a plastic bag or dome and keep it in indirect light, with damp soil, until the roots begin to form (for softwood cuttings, this takes about four weeks). Rooting might be slower for a hardwood cutting, but should still occur within a few months.
5. Test for rooting by pulling gently on the plant. If there’s resistance, the plant is beginning to establish roots. Remove the plastic and place the cutting in a spot that provides bright, indirect light.
6. Before planting in the landscape, gradually acclimate your plant to the outdoors by placing it in a protected area for a few hours every day for a week to 10 days.

Potting and Repotting Arrowwood Viburnum

Arrowood viburnum is too large to work well as a container plant. For a potted plant, choose a dwarf variety such as witherod viburnum ‘Lil’ Ditty’, a cultivar of Viburnum cassinoides. Pot the plant in moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH. If the plant visibly starts to outgrow its pot or roots begin growing from the top or bottom of the pot, repot it in a container one to two sizes larger.

Overwintering

Arrowwood viburnum is a winter-hardy shrub that can tolerate temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in its coldest growing region, USDA hardiness zone 2. These tough plants do not need winter protection.

Common Pests

Arrowwood viburnum shrubs don’t have serious issues with most pests or diseases. However, they might be bothered by the viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni). This beetle has become a major problem for viburnum shrubs in Europe and North America. Both the adult beetles and their larvae eat the leaves of the bushes. If not controlled, the pest can defoliate your shrubs completely, resulting in their death.

The female beetles lay their eggs on the undersides of the shrub stems. If you notice dark spots there, it’s best to prune off those stems and dispose of them before the eggs hatch in the spring. Use organic pesticides only for serious infestations, as they can also kill beneficial insects.

How to Get Arrowwood Viburnum to Bloom

Arrowwood viburnum is prized for its blooms and subsequent berries. Make sure yours is getting enough sunlight and nutrients for it to flower properly.

Bloom Months

Arrowwood viburnum blooms in the late spring, which can range from March to May depending on the hardiness zone it’s grown in.

How Long Does Arrowwood Viburnum Bloom?

Arrowwood viburnum continues to produce flowers throughout the growing season from late spring until mid summer or longer.

What Do Arrowwood Viburnum’s Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Arrowwood viburnum bears showy white spring flowers that stretch roughly 2 to 4 inches across. The flowers do not have much fragrance. In the fall, the shrub’s foliage turns to shades of yellow, orange, and red.

How to Encourage More Blooms

If your shrub does not bloom, the culprit can be lack of sunlight, lack of nutrients, or improper pruning. Apply a fertilizer high in phosphorus in the early spring. As for pruning, viburnums bloom on old wood and you might have accidentally removed the buds if you pruned it too late in the season.

Deadheading Arrowwood Viburnum Flowers

There is no point in deadheading arrowwood viburnum flowers, as the practice will not increase blooming. Additionally, many growers look forward to the berries that form from the pollinated flowers.