Question
my judii viburnum has been in my yard and flourishing for 5 years and now looks horrible - all major limbs appear to be dying, leafless and no flowers although there are a few green shoots coming up from the bottom - I have looked at the bottom of the plant near the base and it appears that the bark is loose and easy to pick off of the trunk- looks like it may be rotting - why is this happening?  and should I destroy the whole shrub at this point?

Answer
Deb:
If this plant looked good last year, there is a possibility of cold damage (i.e. freeze).  If it looked a bit puny last year, there may be some root rot present.  The loose bark could be an indication of each situation.  I'd be tempted to wait a week or two and if it looks like it is trying to recover, go in and prune out all of the dead stuff and watch the development. If it dies also, consider replacement.  Be sure that the area is well drained, because wet/saturated soils can predispose plants to root rot.

Regards
Steve