Chinese Snowball Viburnum

Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 10-15′

Width at Maturity: 10-12′

Spacing: 6-8′ for solid hedge; 15’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast

Flower Color: Light Green fades to White

Flower Size: 8-12″ clusters

Flowering Period: Spring, Fall

Flower Type: Single

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Dark Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun, Morning Sun With Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun

Water Needs: Average, Low when established

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Dry when established

Soil pH: 5.5 – 6.5 (Acid to Slightly Acid)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought, Heat, Insect

Description

There just aren’t too many flowering shrubs that rival the magnificence of Chinese Snowball Viburnum when in full bloom. The Chinese Snowball Viburnum is a Georgia Gold Medal winner that deserves a spot in every landscape where it will grow: USDA Zones 6a-9b. In spring, Snowball Viburnum produces an abundance of giant, 8-12″ diameter, snowball-like flower clusters that emerge lime-green and open to white. These large clusters nearly cover the branches in spring and usually repeat later in the summer or early fall. Flowers are excellent both fresh or dried to make beautiful bouquets.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 10 to 15 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide at maturity, Chinese Snowball Viburnum can be grown as a large shrub or lower branches can be removed to form a very attractive small tree ideal for use as an eye-catching specimen or grouping in landscape and flowering shrub borders. Also useful to frame corners, accentuate entryways, or as espalier (trained to grow flat against a wall) in home foundation plantings. A fine addition to cut flower gardens, white theme gardens, cottage gardens and the Xeriscape (low water needs).

Note: For our customers who live and garden above of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Viburnum variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Viburnum is very easy to grow in most any average, moist but well drained soil and full sun to part shade. It prefers a loamy soil of average fertility. As with so many other ornamental plants, it does not like constantly soggy or wet conditions. Very drought tolerant when established and we’ve seen no serious pest or disease problems. Deer haven’t touched it in our gardens. For best flowering, at least 5 hours of direct sunlight per day is suggested. Responds very well to pruning for shaping, size control and tree forming. Prune as needed immediately after flowering.

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Viburnums.

How To Plant And Care For Viburnum Plants

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