19 Summer ‘snowballs’
Volume XXXINumber 1Page 19 By Gary WadeUniversity of GeorgiaIt seldom snows in Georgia, but it’s possible to have warmsnowballs in April and May if you plant Chinese Snowballviburnum. The mid-spring snowstorm of flowers it provides makesit easy to see why this striking shrub is the 2006 Georgia GoldMedal winner for shrubs. A large, deciduous shrub, Chinese Snowball viburnum (Viburnummacrocephalum ‘Sterile’) is hardy in zones 6 to 9 and reachesheights of 10 to 15 feet with an equal spread.The showy white flower clusters, up to 8 inches across, look justlike giant snowballs, only without the ice crystals. Landscapedesigners say these beauties offer a virtual whiteout of flowers.It looks best when used as a background plant in the perennialborder or woodland garden. There, it disappears into the winterlandscape, then pops to the foreground in spring to become afocal point of the landscape.The flowers of Chinese Snowball come in 1- to 1.5-inch floretsclustered together in a ball-like structure called a cyme. Theflowers emerge green, then gradually fade to pure white.More colorEventually, the flowers become light brown, persisting on theplant for several weeks. Sometimes a second flush of bloomsarrives in late summer. The flowers are commonly cut and used,both fresh and dried, in floral arrangements.Chinese Snowball viburnum prefers moist, well-drained soils andafternoon shade. It’s not drought-tolerant, so it’s vital towater it during times of limited rainfall to keep it healthy.The plant flowers on old wood, so don’t prune until after itflowers. Then prune it as necessary to thin out old branches,open up the shrub, reduce height or develop a better shape.You can rejuvenate old plants by cutting them to the ground. Theymay not resume flowering, though, for two years after severepruning.Chinese Snowball viburnum is sterile. It doesn’t produce fruitsor seeds. However, it roots easily from summer cuttings.It’s an easy-to-grow showstopper in the middle of spring. Inshort, it’s everything you’d expect a Georgia Gold Medal winnerto be in your landscape.(Gary Wade is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with theUniversity of Georgia College of Agricultural and EnvironmentalSciences.)