I am getting a V. trilobum 'Red Wing' in the spring. My question is are these self pollinating or do you need another type to cross pollinate them? Would another V. trilobum such as 'Wentworth' work or another 'Red Wing'? Is one plant all you need? I do already have a couple V. dentatum 'Blur Muffin'.
Trilobum Viburnums ?
For best fruiting you want to get a different trilobum.
I have been looking in my tree and shrub book and online and it doesn't mention anything about needing another viburnum to pollinate. I have V. carlesii, two in fact, and they must pollinate each other since they make the little black fruits each year after blooming. I know of no other viburnums in the neighborhood. Is this from your experience, Victor, or do you have a source for the advice? I don't think carlesii's fruit is edible except for the birds, so I have never really thought about it. They have never produced a great deal of it either. Maybe the birds get it all while I am inside curled up by the woodstove. But, oh boy! In the spring, you can smell the fragrance of these two a block away. They were my gifts for Mother's Day one year. I enjoy them still.
Martha
No, it's well established, Martha. Many are capable of self-pollination, but they are not very good at it and will have much heavier fruiting if another variety of the same species is nearby. Now 'nearby' can mean the neighborhood so someone down the street may have one and that's all the bees need! Here's a link to a Clemson site:
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1075.htm
The important line is, "The brilliant colored fruits are yellow, orange, red, pink, blue or black. In general, heavy fruit set is only reliable when at least 2 different cultivars or seedlings of the same species are planted together."
Okay thanks so much, this is good news I get to buy more shrubs. 'Wentworth' is a good one right? So does this mean I also need to get a different cultivar of V. dentatum too? Oh what a shame, another purchase. HeHeHe. I just love when you get a good excuse for more plants don't you. :)
Yes, if you only have Blue Muffin, you'll need a different one.
Thanks Victor, My books have all these viburnum in them, but fail to mention how to make them fruit better. I grow mine for the fragrant flowers and V. carlesii fruits aren't edible anyhow so I never paid much attention to the fruit and left it to the birds. I will check out the site.
Martha
No problem, Martha. I was commenting on another thread that the new viburnum book by Dirr devotes all of two lines to the subject!
I would think vendors would put groupings together that bloom at the same time and inform people of this for good fruit development. They would sell more product wouldn't they? I have seen such groupings for other things like blueberry bushes.
They should but I have not seen it in nurseries near me.
The only on-line place I have seen do this is WFF with three blueberry bushes. They have one early, mid and late so that they all overlap and produce a longer season of blueberries. I have seen this locally too with holly bushes but not with Viburnums.
Actually, I don't see viburnum being sold around here as an edible fruit bearing shrub. Mostly ornamental use for the flowers and fruit. Not like blueberries and such.
Is this just a peculiar thing in New England? I have Dirr's Hardy trees and Shrubs and he doesn't mention a word about edibility in any of his viburnum entries.
Martha
No - not here either.
Check page 80 under V.edule. Dirr. I ordered two so I can make jelly. Patti