I've "pruned" my Viburnum Snowball bush -eek!

Last year after years of neglect I pruned all my Philadelphus Aureus and Virginal with some success. This year I've also been able to successfully cut back an old Viburnum Bodnantense from a saggy mess to all young upright stems, and a couple of Weigela Florida Variegata also. All the shrubs, along with the best one of all - a Viburnum Snowball bush - we bought about 20/25 years ago, when a local nursery were relocating, for just £1 each! Flushed with confidence or maybe bravado I decided that lovely though the flowers had always been, it had now grown so tall that virtually all new growth was above the 7 - 8 foot mark, and although I'd clearly missed the post-flowering pruning time, looking at the blackfly-riddled leaves we get every year, I'd try to rejuvenate it.

I started with secateurs at the sides so I'd be able to squeeze round it to access other plants, then cut out bare stems, and stems at the back leaning towards and over next door's fence, till I realised the only greenish shoots I had left were 3 or 4, the lowest of which are a good 3 feet from the ground! I've photo'd the resultant bare shrub. I know that best case I won't get flowers next year, but what are the chances that I'll see some new shoots at the bottom next spring? The shrub itself is/was healthy, and I had very little dead wood to cut out.

 

Did your viburnum grow shoots or flower this year? My plant is heavily infested with blackfly and I would like to cut it back hard as it's mainly wood but fear it will not survive. Really interested to hear how yours is now. Ive added a photo below. All the leaves are curled and infested, if i cut back hard there would just be wood. Ive cut of infested shoots every year but never cut back hard. Thank you.

 

Hi Barb, Pleased to report my pruning worked out fine. Only a few blooms this year but I could see soon after pruning that new growth was coming, even from lower unpromising areas. Black fly this year have homed in a lovely (pruned) Philadelphus which is right next to my compost bin, from which flies escape every time I lift the lid to put kitchen waste in. I’ll have to see if I can eradicate this somehow. Anyway here’s a pic I’ve just taken of the healthy Snowball bush