Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - September 20, 2008
From: Silver Spring, MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Propagation, Seeds and Seeding, Shrubs
Title: Failure of Viburnum dentatum to produce berries in Maryland
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I planted several Viburnum dentatum shrubs in a hedgerow for my yard. Although I have some other viburnums in the yard, this shrub blooms profusely but does not ever produce berries. What can I do to encourage the berries? I have tons of pollinating insects, and everything else in the yard produces well.ANSWER:
We got the following information from a Floridata website on Viburnum dentatum (southern arrowwood):
"You can expect arrow-wood to flower every spring, but you may not get many fruits if you have only one plant. Many viburnums exhibit self-incompatibility, which means that they cannot pollinate themselves. To get fruits, you need two different seedling plants - two vegetative clones of the same plant will not suffice."
We're not sure what you can do about this. If you purchased all your shrubs from a nursery at the same time, they are almost inevitably all clones. And since most commercially-sold woody plants are produced vegetatively, that is, by rooting cuttings or creating clones, you might have a lot of trouble finding a seed-produced plant to pollinate your viburnums. In fact, if they are all clones, even one seedling plant would probably not be sufficient, as the article says it takes two different seedling plants. Enjoy the flowers on your viburnums.
More Shrubs Questions
Pruning tips for Texas Mountain Laurel.
October 09, 2011 - Towards the end of May, I planted some Mountain Laurel seeds in pots. They are about six inches high now and starting to branch out. Do I need to trim off the leaves on the main stem below the branche...
view the full question and answer
Why is Rhus aromatica more deer resistant from Seattle
December 07, 2009 - I have a large area that I would like to cover with Rhus aromatica. My landscaper says that in his experience, Rhus typhina and glabra in this area are heavily browsed by deer. I noticed in your dat...
view the full question and answer
Pool-Side Plants for Miami
April 02, 2015 - I am looking for plants, along the line of ti plant cordyline features, to plant around my chlorinated pool area with full South Miami sun. We have a dog therefore they must be non-toxic plants. The...
view the full question and answer
Planting Suggestions for a Lake Home in Wayne County, MO
April 03, 2014 - We have a lake home in Wayne County, MO at Lake Wappapello. The soil is very rocky. We recently cleared an area around our home of assorted dead trees, some cedars and what seemed like tons of vines. ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of shrub in Florida
July 03, 2008 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have a question about identifying some bushes. The bushes I have seen through areas of Florida and they seem to be used most often as natural fences. These are the charac...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |