Viburnum tinus offensive Smell

Reno Tandurella

Hi guys we have 3 of these Viburnum tinus under our Bay window, and Iam pretty sure Its them that have a bad bad SMELL.

My wife has a problem opening the windows and firends comming to the front door . This dose not happen all the time ...But quite a lot .

The bush looks just GREAT its ...all rounded off and would be ashamed to Dig them out .But if you had to smell it all the time it would be the only way out .


So is this ....TRUE .... This Plant is suppose to give an Offensive Odour.

Which I beleive happens when it gets Wet ???

And becomes terribly unpleasant for three or four days while it is most eager to attract pollinating flies







If ...SO ...can I do anything about it .


Thanks RENO

Eric Frei

Hmmm, I think it could be another, to me Euodia elleryana stinks.

Not so sure about your one, been a while since I dealt with them.

__________________

Davo The Terrible

Does it happen only when flowering? Because I know that Viburnum odoratissimum leaves have a bad smell, but from my experience, only when you crush the leaves. Could it be that the leaves are bruised when you open the window, thus creating the smell?

dov

I reckon Ekka could be on the money with this one. I've never noticed much of an odor from Viburnum Tinus (or other common Viburnums for that matter.) They really are generally very well behaved garden plants.

Davo The Terrible

That doesn't seem likely to me - it wouldn't be often that someone would have Melicope elleryana growing under their windowsill. As far as not noticing Stinking Viburnum - crush a leaf from every specimen you see - sooner or later you will notice! Odoratissimum smells like a mix of pepper and poop - and apparently tinus flowers reek just before they finish flowering - to attract flies.

Reno Tandurella

It happens anytime Davo in the wet I think its worse

The window don’t touch the leaves only time leaves are touched is when my wife trims them

Looks like Iam not the only one with this problem READ Below


Mrs Bronwyn Lummis Tue Jun 9 2009
June 9th 2009 Thankyou so much for letting me know about the poo smell of this plant!! we have lived in our house house 16yrs and on an off we have smelt this and at the moment it does so everyone who comes into the front garden thinks its a cat doing it so now we must say sorry to the Cat poor thing!!


By the way thers no other plant other than the Viburnum tinus in that area.

Davo The Terrible

Indeed it looks like you are not the only one who has noticed the stench!
Viburnum tinus - Plants For A Future database report

Eric Frei

LOL, put that on the next council form, reason for removal "they stink like shit!"

__________________

Reno Tandurella

Its true EKKA they stink like shit , so when firends come over the first thing they do is take their shoes off .



Looks like I have to find my self a Long tow rope put it on the tow Bar and

Pull them out I need all the root system out so I can put something straight
back in


I need to replace these 3 shrubs or bushes with something else that lasts
a long time

They need to be 1mt high and 1.2 wide roughly

drought proof and real real nice Looking Because they are near
the front door But I don’t want to wait to long for them to grow .

We thought about bush roses ????? But we don’t know ?????

Davo The Terrible

Maybe some of the Syzygium cultivars like "Bush Christmas" or "Little Gem" would be suitable. Otherwise maybe some Metrosideros "Fiji fire", Photinia 'Red Robin' or even Murraya paniculata.

Not sure if the first two would be suitable if you get frost though, and you might need to hedge some of them to keep them under a metre.

Garry Brockley

For frosty areas and a sweet smell try Elaeagnus x ebbingei 'Limelight its a small bush shrub that you can easily keep under control.

__________________

Reno Tandurella

Thanks guys I will work something out

Ronda

Hi,
Your conversations re viburnum tinus are interesting!

I am interested to know if it will grow in a pot.
We use the leaves in florist work, and a leaf I have had in water for some time has sprouted roots. Perhaps growing it in the pot will avoid it growing too big in the garden.My Botanica book says it can grow to 6 m wide, 4.5 m high.
Any particular type of soil/ care needed to grow it?? Are they deep or shallow roots?

Perhaps those who want to avoid the apparent smell could trim the flowers off??

Thanks, Ronda

Reno Tandurella

Ronda all I can say I would not recomend this plant to any one They ..STINK....

I pulled mine all out with the tow bar of the car their not easy to pull out


And replaced them with ....CHOISYA TERNATA

Look them up they are great

Don,t bother with the Viburnum

MoDirt

Does it smell like a wet dog with a hobo's sock in its mouth?
Is there small holes and a brown tinge.

If so I know it as Viburnum beetle/bug

Your Tinus is in the wrong place and in its weakened condition it has allowed the bug to move in. It can be fixed but you have to butcher it which further weakens the plants. I say transfer it to the fenceline of the neighbour you like the least.

KevinE

I'm gobsmacked by the fact that I've never known they stink! While I'd like to do more tree work, shrub & hedge pruning is really my bread & butter. Viburnum Tinus would be the most popular garden shrub here in Adelaide by a country mile & I prune at least one every time I tidy a yard (I pruned one up today in fact!) I guess I must have pruned many dozens of the jolly things over the years. I live on a T junction & both houses across the road from me have them too (albeit that one guy has topiaried the 3 across the front of his place to look like ice cream cones!) My sinuses aren't the best though (a real benefit at times!), so I asked my other half, as she used to tidy up behind me for a couple of years (unlike me, she has a sense of smell). She can't remember them stinking either. How odd!

Garry Brockley

Choisya ternata is a beautiful shrub i particularly love the "ternata sunbeam" which has a very yellow foilage great to break up the foliage colours in a border.

__________________

Patsy

Tinus=Tinea maybe I know how bad feet can smell....
Replace with Lavender or Geranium maybe to give you a nasal break??? Try lime or lemon Geranium and eat some too!

KevinE

I think that the smell is caused by a combination of white palm scale & masses of rust.

Surely not pelargonium's Patsy? Now they DO stink!

Bowani Siam

hahahaha funny thread...

Just as another note, Viburnum tinus is massively susceptible to thrip infestation, which is what gives it that bronze/mottled look.

If you put it in the ground, it will sucker from the base.

Never ever ever buy/sell/plant/propagate/allow to live.!


Laurustinus =

MoDirt

Its not Thrip or Scale its called' Pyrrhalta viburni'

It was named Englands # 1 pest.

KevinE

You may be correct, but ironically I did a consult earlier in the week where their VT's did indeed stink! No sign of Viburnum Beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni) though! They had a very bad dose of rust, horrible white palm scale (sap sucking scale) & all the hall marks of thrip (dessicated bronzed leaves).

KevinE

The bloody things even sucker where branches droop & touch the ground!

Bowani Siam

Don't think I have ever seen this pest or its damage in Sydney, but thrip is very very common... I live a sheltered life... !


hahaha I especially like when people offer the trimmings as 'cuttings'.

"You can take some home if you like!"

"Errr, thanks but no thanks..."

MoDirt

Lets send our 'Viburnum tinus' back to Europe.

On the note of take these cuttings you'll love em'

I had a lady who tried to pawn of a 200 sq ft bed of Gunnera on me. She said just dig it up and if you leave a nice edge I won't charge you.

'Some peoples children.'

Bowani Siam

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!

This has also happened with Tradescantia zebrina and various species of Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum).

"How kind of you to offer me 100m2 of these heavy-ass weeds. And all I have to do is dig them up and take them away at my expense? So, so kind..."

Hahaha!