Chinese Snowball Viburnum Scientific Name
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Common Name: Chinese Snowball Viburnum Scientific Name: Viburnum macrocephalum Order: Dipsacales Family: Adoxaceae Description Chinese snowball viburnum produces large 6-8 inch clusters of hydrangea-like flowers that start out as lime green and mature to white in the early spring. It can grow taller than 15 feet. It is very large, dense, and rounded with oval shaped leaves. This plant bears no fruit. This viburnum’s longevity is less than 50 years. Chinese snowball viburnum is a deciduous plant. It produces large white hydrangea- like flowers and then loses its leaves annually. This plant can be semi-evergreen in the south, and often re-blooms in the late summer or fall. Growth Habit The growth habit of the Chinese snowball viburnum is erect or spreading and has deciduous foliage, but often re-blooms in late summer or fall. It shape is rounded and grows 24 inches per season. This plant can grow to 15 feet or more in height. It can also be cut back every 3-4 years to 2-3 inches to control size if necessary, although bloom for the following year will be lost. This viburnum’s rooting resents being disturbed and should be left in place until the second year. Hardiness Zone(s) Chinese snowball viburnum can grow in the USDA zones 5 through 9. It may be grown in certain conditions in zones 4 and 8. If it is grown in zone 4 then a protected situation is recommended. Chinese snowball viburnum emerges in the early spring. It is fully heat tolerant and is very beautiful in full bloom but not as attractive the rest of the year. It does not endure drought. Culture Chinese snowball viburnum is best grown with exposure of full sun to partial shade. Sometimes afternoon shade will help prevent summer wilting. It needs moist soil, and some great soil types are clay, loam, or sand. For soil pH, it is required highly acidic to highly alkaline. Diseases & Insects Chinese snowball viburnum is susceptible to aphids, spider mites, thrips, scales, phytophthora, root rot, and verticillium. Occasionally bacterial leaf spots or nematodes are a problem. This plant is also poisonous. Landscape Value Chinese snowball viburnum is very dense and can be used as a screen or espalier, which means it can be trained to grow flat against a wall. References Browne, M. 2015. Snowball Bush. University of Georgia Cobb County Extension Service. Online. <http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/cobb/anr/Documents/snowball.pdf> Accessed 17 April 2015. Glasgow, T. 2015. Plants for Screens and Large Hedges. North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. Online. <http://craven.ces.ncsu.edu/plantsforscreensandlargehedges/> Accessed 17 April 2015. Home and Garden Information Center. 2015. Viburnum. Clemson University Cooperative Extension. Online. <http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/shrubs/hgic1075.html> Accessed 17 April 2015. This document was authored by Allison Holtzclaw, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, April 2015. .