What is wrong with my viburnum tinus ?

Hello,

Hope you are all well and keeping safe.

This viburnum gave beautiful flowers in the spring, after flowering I gave it a light pruning to shape and all was fine. All of a sudden, in early June this has happened (please see the picture). Half of the plant dried out :(

In case it is not noticeable on the picture, this is one of the two branches coming from the ground going completely dry.

I was watering it normally so it wasn't like I let it dry.

What may be the issue here ? Anything I can do to save at least the rest ? Should I cut the brach that has dried out ?

Many thanks,

Charles

 

Hi saw this might help


www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/...
Keeping leaves relatively dry is the key to preventing leaf spot diseases where leaves turn brown on viburnum. Do not use overhead irrigation and leave sufficient space between your plants for air to pass through. Rake up and burn the brown viburnum leaves that have fallen

 

Has any brown leaves got any holes /mildrew ? Keeping leaves relatively dry is the key to preventing leaf spot diseases where leaves turn brown on viburnum. Do not use overhead irrigation and leave sufficient space between your plants for air to pass through. Rake up and burn the brown viburnum leaves that have fallen.
Have you a dog ?it is known dog urine also can turn leaves brown

 

Have a scratch of the bark check if it's a good bright green colour underneath.
Looks to me like the whole stem from the ground is dead.

Just seen Monty Donn going on about fire blight, it looks similar.

 

@Janet mahay Thank you, a closeup picture of leaves below, they look ok to me.

@pete Thank you, a picture of scratched bark below, nothing green left I am afraid :(

I did shower the plant occasionally (once a week) during hot spells, but it is only one branch completely dead, while the other is completely healthy.

When I looked up fireblight on RHS website it seems to be affecting some of the leaves / shoots. I may be wrong. But in my case the entire branch dried of at once, at the same time.

Do you suggest cutting that whole branch now ? Or wait until autumn / spring ? It is essentially a piece of deadwood by the looks of it.

Many thanks !

 

I have got this on some of my viburnum tinus shrubs as well. Not sure what is the cause and when I posted a link to a video clip of the damage on another forum an experienced gardener put it down to exposure. The viburnum tinus is native to warmer climates so maybe it is down to it being a bit sensitive to frost damage or wind burn and we did get a frost in my own garden in May and the damage I noticed at times has been on the side of the shrub that was exposed to the north east where cold dry wind would have been coming from. I have just cut off the effected branches when I have noticed them and the shrubs have continued to grow fine and although it has happened a few times now it hasn't been that damaging to the shrubs in the longer term.

 

I think if it's dead right down to ground level you might as well cut it out now.