Help! My Chicago Lustre Viburnum is Splaying!

Bloomington, IN(Zone 6a)

I put this viburnum Chicago Lustre in last June or July (2009) and it did really well - good healthy leaves, etc. This year, it started out nicely, then we had a bad storm in May and it's branches all curved outward. I thought it would straighten up, but it didn't. Yesterday, I pruned off the worst splaying branches - see pic.

I was thinking of tying some twine around the whole thing to bring the branches up, then next spring, when it starts putting some new bark on the branches, they would grow in the way they were straightened up with the twine. Does that sound like a good idea? Any other ideas?

Thanks for any help you can give!

Thumbnail by sherriseden
Bloomington, IN(Zone 6a)

I also thought that with all the rain this spring, it grew too fast and the stems were weak because of this. Here's a pic of it last August. Do you think that's why it did this? According to a soil test, I have enough nitrogen in this area.

Thanks!

Thumbnail by sherriseden
Danville, IN

The best and easiest way to get a fuller shrub is to, late this fall, prune the whole plant back to 8" or so. Next spring, you will get tremendous, healthy growth from the roots and by early summer, a handsome, full plant. (See the post about the snowball viburnum above).

Bloomington, IN(Zone 6a)

Thanks, HoosierGreen - I think that's what I'll do.

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