This thing has been driving me crazy since I got it! Here's my original post about this plant. do-you-think-it-stands-a-snowballs-chance Now a couple years later... it has big beautiful blooms. But hardly any leaves! Do you think it needs some added Nitrogen? That stalk in the middle has absolutely no leaves, but it's not dead, it's still "green". Should I prune it and other branches that are like that? Or leave (no pun intended) them alone? Or just dig up the darn thing and put it out of it's misery?
Hiya Cheryl. Did you just get that plant last year? I have one as well and it is full of bloom buds but the leaves are still tightly-wrapped buds. It is that way every year here...the nature of the bush. Actually I never prune mine unless I want to correct or change the appearance. My Virburnum will be getting a haircut after it has finished blooming this year.
Did leaves form, then disappear? If so, insects are the first suspects. Are Viburnum leaf beetles present in your area? Apart from that, I'd be giving it nitrogen to encourage leaves to grow. It looks like you've mulched your garden. That's great, of course. In fact, nitrogen isn't available to plants from mineral sources. That means your plants are going to get most of their nitrogen from mulch and micorrhizae. Well, about 70% of plants use the latter and nearly all the former. However, when green waste is first applied to a garden it actually uses nitrogen to break down. So, a plant that doesn't have a fungal symbiosis to provide nitrogen (and there are plenty that don't), in a garden bed with fresh green waste is probably going to really struggle to get the nitrogen it needs. Commercial fertilizers come with issues, too. They tend to use a cheap version of nitrogen that acidifies the soil. I suggest applying an organic fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. If the above doesn't help I'd then prune the dead branches. It should still grow, though that's if it's healthy.
Thanks Brisbane. It hasn't put on many leaves, so I don't think anything is munching them. I did put in some of those fertilizer spikes I believe they had N-level of 15 or was it 18? If this weekend isn't a total wash-out, I'll get the dead branches out. The flowers are still looking gorgeous!
