Viburnum Leaf Beetle

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by grasshopperac, Jul 13, 2012.

  1. grasshopperac

    grasshopperac Member

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    Hello All:
    Need to do something for the space opened up by the long overdue removal of an enormously overgrown cedar hedge.
    One item under consideration is Viburnum Davidii. One nursery gave some ideas re what to put with it to make the frontage more interesting, but still low maintenance, and no more than 3 - 4 ft high. Yet, one staff from another nursery told me today that he would not want to sell me Viburnum Davidii because of the Viburnum Leaf Beetle. A problem right now, and that there is nothing one can do about it. So must stay away from it.
    A quick search online yielded nothing of the beetle problem here.
    I am an utter neophyte when it comes to plants and gardens. And for something that is no more than 3 - 4 ft high, dense and shapely without needing periodic shearing such as boxwoods, I thought the Viburnum was the answer to making the frontage more interesting than letting it join up with the lawn.
    My question is what can anyone tell me re the Viburnum Leaf Beetle problem here in the lower mainland ( I live in Vancouver) - should I not buy it?
    Thanks.
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Why do you have to shear box? If anything, more dense and tidy - without shearing - than most other options.
     
  3. grasshopperac

    grasshopperac Member

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    The box will be spaced far enough apart to make them stand as individual plants, just like my thinking for the Viburnum Davidii. Which box do you have in mind that doesn't require haircuts?

    I had been wondering about 'green beauty', or 'winter gem'or 'dwarf English box',....

    The idea for the Viburnum is that they present a less formal look. Esp when juxtaposed with something else. Mind you, I have no idea if the densely mounded looking Viburnun I see set into the pavements in Kerrisdale had been pruned or not. My assumption is that they were allowed to grow naturally.
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If you don't shear the box, then its appearance is not formal. The viburnum is not attractive unless doing quite well. Of course, box is often partly discolored if the site is not completely satisfactory. You might do better with dwarf conifers.
     
  5. grasshopperac

    grasshopperac Member

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    Well, in any case, the thought of getting something that may begin by being problematic is more than we want to tackle.
    So no Viburnum Davidii.
    I tend towards broadleaf plants, and the yard already has a couple of rhodos and an hydrangea on it, as well as a maple tree and a little Japanese snowbell. So I was thinking of more broadleafs.
    You wouldn't know of any dense, mounding evergreens that grow to around 3'? Frontage faces due South. For a more open look, the thinking is to give each plant its requisite space. No packing them in as in our previous gardens (all came with the house).
     

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