Flowering shrubs can be quite sensitive to freezes. Sometimes it takes young trees a few years to yield flowers that bloom fully and consistently. If you are having trouble keeping the plastic bag from touching the tops of the cuttings, tape tall straws onto the corners of the seeding tray and settle the bag on top of the straws. Share your garden joys & woes! This article was co-authored by Maggie Moran. In these areas, these plants make nice sized screening plants and excellent hedges. At … Be sure to water at the base of the plant instead of over the top of the plant. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. This large shrub is the perfect focal plant for small yards instead of a tree. About Japanese Snowball Trees. It not only gave me the information I needed to trim my snowball tree, but also how to. Expect viburnum snowball bushes to blossom in May. wikiHow.com had just what I needed! It also fits well into a woodland garden. Required fields are marked *. The Snowball Bush is easy to care for and maintain and makes a great focal point for the center of a large yard or for the corner of a foundation planting. % of people told us that this article helped them. The colour changes from lime green to a beautiful creamy white and it's one of the most spectacular shrubs for a garden. Consequently, prepare the soil very diligently when proceeding to plant, and add as much organic matter as you can. It knows how to flower, flower big, and then retire for the year. Chinese Snowball Viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum, is a beautiful shrub with hydrangea-like flowers to include in your landscape. As for the climate, the best areas are seaside venues with mild temperatures all year long. Check the tray every now and then and water the soil when it is dry. Even if you only want to end up with one snowball tree, make several cuttings. Take cuttings from the parent tree between March and July. Viburnum macrocephalum, Chinese snowball, is the epitome of the old-fashioned one-season plant. If you wish, you can transplant the snowball trees into the garden two to three weeks after you transplant them into the pots. If you live in a hot climate, plant it somewhere shady if you can to protect it from the sun. The Chinese Snowball is a striking anchor plant to soften the corners of your home. To do this, put stakes in the ground around your plant and wrap a heavy burlap layer around the stakes to protect the plant from the cold. The flowers are the largest of the snowball viburnums. Using some fertilizer may be suggested as well in the early stages to maintain soil nutrients. Dark green leaves are semi-evergreen in southern states, where it can grow to 20 feet high and 15 feet wide. Cut the stems at an angle and place the flowers in a vase of water. Snowball bush, also known as Viburnum opulus, is an ornamental flowering shrub that produces large clusters of white flowers resembling snowballs, hence the plant's common name. Chinese snowball is the plant for a savvy spring gardener. Should suckers be cut off the trunk of a snowball tree? Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’ - Chinese Snowball - One Gallon Healthy Potted Plant - Flowering Shrub – 1 Plant by Growers Solution 3.2 out of 5 stars 2 $21.95 $ 21 . Q: I have a large, well-established white snowball tree that has been infested with little tiny bugs on the back side of the leaves, basically stripping the tree of foliage in about two weeks. It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its flowers and berries. After the flowering months, the flowers should be removed quickly. Once a year as soon as the flowering is done, give it a quick trim to remove the dead wood and shape it up. Fringe trees grow only 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m.) tall, so they fit in almost any garden. This article has been viewed 101,514 times. Prune infested twigs and leaves. Mine were hard to train to grow, "This information is great. The flowers emerge a striking lime-green in late spring and gradually turn to snowy-white in mid-May; they retain their green color for several weeks before turning to cream and then to white. The bush seems to have healthy foliage. In areas where the sky is often covered, planting in a clear spot is possible. They start out with a light green tint, but develop into elegant, snowball-sized flowers. Chinese Snowball Viburnum Care. Prune as needed immediately after flowering. The flowers on Viburnum macrocephalum shift from pale green, to cream, to white. Chinese Snowball Viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum, is a beautiful shrub with hydrangea-like flowers to include in your landscape. Snowball Bush Facts. "I needed to know how to propagate my Chinese snowball tree. Add 18 - 24 inches of soil in a mound or raised bed, then plant directly into the mound. Chinese Snowball Tree; Chinese Snowball Viburnum; Phonetic Spelling vih-BUR-num mak-roh-SEF-uh-lum Description. Heavy pruning should only be done at this time since you can easily destroy next year’s flowers by removing old wood. Snowball trees are known for their large, globular white blooms that emerge in early spring. For best results, take cuttings in the spring from shoots with vigorous new growth. In smaller gardens or if you want to grow your specimen in a garden box, you can eventually shorten the branches after the blooming. It is adore If a gardener has room for 15-20' tall and wide shrub (think a … Transplant a small snowball sapling into your garden or grow it from a branch cutting from an existing tree. Fully grown snowball trees can grow from 12-20 feet tall and wide. Hydrangeas like full sun in the morning hours and a little afternoon shade. I tried several sites, but it wasn't the right snowball, "I found here that I wasn't the only one with snowball trees that wouldn't bloom. If more than one cutting took root, transplant them into separate pots. Hardy and vigorous. They like full sun or a little partial shade. By using our site, you agree to our. Therefore, to keep it neat, it is essential to do the pruning of the plant correctly. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Laden with hydrangea-like blooms, a single specimen can add oomph to the border or be trained into a small accent tree. Rich autumn colour. Water. In late spring, it bears flower clusters—sometimes up to 8 inches wide—that start out chartreuse and turn pure white. I sprayed the tree with a insecticidal soap. It works well as a specimen plant with its natural round shape and thick green foliage or … These shrubs bloom out in snowy, fragrance-free blossoms come spring and are also a good choice for espaliered plantings. Statuesque in scale, one shrub is all you need to make a statement. The snowball bush reaches up to 10 feet in height with an equal spread when given proper care, making it ideal for hedges, borders and foundation plantings. Prefers moist, acidic loams, but tolerates a wide range of soils. The Chinese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum) is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Make sure the point where the sapling's trunk meets its roots is 1 ½ to 2 inches above the soil. What do I do if my snowball trees are blooming in the winter instead of the summer? To get rid of these pests, drench the foliage in insecticide soap two to three times per week. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. If the branch bends but doesn’t break, it is too immature and likely won’t develop into a new tree. It is best to plant a snowball bush in zones 3-8. Japanese snowball appreciates veiled light, and soil that stays cool in summer. Water the potting mixture so that the soil is evenly moist. The first thing to know about snowball bushes is that there are several different types. Prefers a full sun to part shade position and is cold tolerant. Cover the soil with a few inches of mulch to protect it. The crown is quite round and symmetrical on older specimens when grown in full sun but becomes misshapen in too much shade - best for full sun areas. Strong direct sun is not well coped with. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Step 1, Pick the right spot to plant the sapling. They'll grow probably an average of 0.5m per year. Additionally, birds will appreciate the rigid branches of the Chinese Snowball for nesting and shelter purposes. However, if you live in a particularly hot climate, choose a spot in your garden where the plant is shaded for at least part of the day. Is it normal for snowball trees to have black seeds where the blooms once were? This semi-evergreen or evergreen shrub has a rounded form. Water plants at the roots as sitting moisture on leaves promote fungus and mildew. Clean any leaves off of the bottom of the cutting to expose the nodes, and dip the end of the cutting in rooting … This article was co-authored by Maggie Moran. Use them in groupings, in shrub borders, or as specimens.They look spectacular when in bloom, and the large white flowers are followed by hanging blue or purple berries that bring birds and other wildlife to the garden. Mature plants generally have some drought tolerance. Make sure that the snowball tree is receiving enough sunlight, as limited sunlight can stunt blooms. In mild winters, the plants may be evergreen or semi-evergreen and hold on to their leaves in winter. Chinese snowball viburnum can be propagated by softwood cuttings. Where is the best place to plant a snowball bush? Your email address will not be published. If you cannot find snowball trees for sale locally, check garden retailing sites online. Also be sure that you are not using over-using fertilizer with too much nitrogen, as this can encourage healthy foliage but not blooms. In case of strong heat, water abundantly in the evening and even shower the leaves. Thank you! 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