I have a Viburnum x bodnantense, or what looks a lot
like one, and it is blooming already, although this year’s leaves have not
yet fallen off completely. Would the plant benefit from feeding? I have a
Miracle-Gro hose-dispenser and bottled feed which is sprayed at 30:1
dilution. Would this help the plant, which may be weakened by early
blooming? Would a later feeding help? I am afraid I’ll miss the
late December blooms this year. Is that true?
It is possible you have Viburnum x bodnantense. The cultivars ‘Dawn’ and
‘Charles Lamont’ bloom from late fall through early spring. Thus, the
blooms you are seeing are normal, not early, and they should continue
through the winter.
Here is a link to a local growing guide from Rainyside Gardeners.
I think that feeding your Viburnum with a synthetic chemical fertilizer
like Miracle-Gro would not be a good idea. Miracle-Gro will supply more
nitrogen than your Viburnum wants, and you might actually encourage leafy
growth at the expense of flowers. All your plant really needs is mulching
with good organic compost and occasional feeds of alfalfa, fish
fertilizer, or manure.
Local garden writer Ann Lovejoy describes how to fertilize trees and
shrubs in spring and fall in her book The Handbook of Northwest Gardening
(Sasquatch Books, 2004):
“Spring feeds are generally fast-acting, offering rapidly growing plants the nitrogen they need… A feeding mulch of compost can be fortified
with fast-acting alfalfa, which will release more nitrogen if used in
combination with composted manures. Alfalfa comes in meal or pellets…
“In fall, most plants stop producing fresh top growth… Fall is a good
time to feed roots, which continue to stretch and grow underground
despite low temperatures. Adding whole fish meal to your compost feeding
mulch will fortify growing roots with phosphorus…
“In my own garden I rarely feed plants directly, preferring to feed the
soil.”
You may find the following comments about Miracle-Gro of interest. I hope this helps, and I hope your Viburnum keeps on flowering!