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Pollination of viburnums #783886

Asked March 13, 2022, 12:20 PM EDT

I currently have 2 viburnums in my southern exposure backyard planted on the left and right side of my backyard (70 across from each other. They are both Dentatum (Arrowwood) "Autumn Jazz" and "Chicago Lustre". I read that in order to achieve fruit, I must plant 2 genetically different viburnums of the same species. Yesterday I purchased 3 Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) online to plant this May. I also want to buy 2 more viburnums to plant in my backyard. My questions are: will my current dentatums pollinate with the lentago and produce fruit? Will all 3 lentagos planted next to each other produce fruit? Will Blackhaw viburnum and Highbush Cranberry polinate with any of the above to produce fruit? So I need help with WHICH viburnums and WHERE to plant the options above (next to each other) in order to produce fruit.

Macomb County Michigan

Expert Response

Hello Carol

Unfortunately there is not a comprehensive guide to viburnum pollination available. There are some ways you can increase the likelihood of pollination:

Some varieties of viburnum are sterile so avoid those; see Clemson university link—

This article describes your species and cultivars, and also which are sterile.

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/viburnum/

Planting within 50 to 100 feet is fine. Flowers are pollinated by insects including bees, beetles, flies. Avoid all insecticides during flowering to preserve pollinating insects.

Non-sterile viburnum flowers that are in bloom at the same time will cross pollinate each other.

Purchase shrubs grown from seed- ask the nursery manager or person who orders the stock. If this info isn’t available, order shrubs from different nurseries, which makes it more likely the shrubs have different parentage.

It may take a few seasons for newly planted shrubs to bear fruit, as transplanting requires the shrub to establish a good root system first.

Give all shrubs good care- especially watering them during drought times in spring, summer and fall up to when the ground freezes.

The highbush cranberry, V. opulus var. americanum, can pollinate others which are in flower at the same time.

More discussion on cross pollination of viburnum:

https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/viburnum-a-shrub-for-many-settings/


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