How to Grow a Viburnum Hedge

Choose viburnums for your hedge that are suited for growth in your area and will mature to the same size. Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii) grows to a height of 8 feet and a width of 5 feet, for example. Fragrant snowball viburnum (Viburnum x carlcephalum) reaches 6 to 10 feet in both width and height. Since these plants vary widely in mature shape, measure your planting area and purchase enough plants to fill the hedge at maturity, based on the width of those plants.

Prepare the soil by turning over the earth with a spade to loosen the soil, break apart clumps and remove rocks and weeds. Most viburnums do best in well-draining soil with a pH of 5.6 to 6.6. Adjust your soil pH if necessary, adding lime to raise it or sulfur to lower it.

Dig one hole for each plant, spacing them 5 to 15 feet apart, using the mature width of the chosen species as a guideline. Make each hole twice as wide and deep as your plant's root ball.

Remove one viburnum from its container and massage the roots. Unwind tangled roots and trim the ends of broken roots. Place the shrub in the prepared hole so it sits vertically straight and at the same depth as it was planted before, and fill in the hole with soil to complete planting. Plant all viburnums like this.

Water the plants to saturate the soil. Thereafter, give 1 inch of water per week.

Protect the shrubs with 2 inches of organic mulch, which helps the soil retain water.

Fertilize your viburnum each spring with compost, applying this over the soil from the roots to the outermost branches.

Prune viburnum after flowering to control the size and shape of your plant. Remove dead, diseased or damaged growth at this time or whenever you notice it.