What’s the difference between a snowball bush and a hydrangea?
One way to determine whether you have a snowball bush vs a hydrangea is to measure the plant’s mature height. A chinese snowball viburnum typically grows 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, while an annabelle hydrangea grows only 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. snowball bushes grow 1 to 2 feet per year. Most viburnums grow from 1 to more than 2 feet per year, but dwarf varieties will grow slower. These bushes tend to grow slower in cool climates and faster in warm regions.The best location for a snowball bush viburnum is usually in full sun, especially in the cooler northern part of its range. The snowball bush likes at least six hours of sunlight per day in order to produce the biggest masses of flowers.Planting & Growing Common Snowball Viburnum will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet.The Snowball Bush Gets Large This plant is also well known for being a wonderful bird attraction because the bush will have small berries during the fall. Mature Plant Height: 10 – 12 ft. Mature Plant Width: 10 – 12 ft. Plant Spacing: 4 – 5 ft.
Do snowball bushes need sun or shade?
Plant care: Fragrant snowball grows best in full sun to part shade in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Plant in full sun to part shade. While the Common Snowball Bush does well in some shade, about 6 hours of sun is ideal for best blooming. A well-draining and slightly acidic soil is ideal, but this hardy viburnum is adaptable to most soils.Plant in full sun to part shade. While the Common Snowball Bush does well in some shade, about 6 hours of sun is ideal for best blooming. A well-draining and slightly acidic soil is ideal, but this hardy viburnum is adaptable to most soils.How Fast Do Snowball Bushes Grow? The tallest varieties of Viburnum grow up to two feet per year. Shorter dwarf varieties grow at a slower pace. When fully mature, the Snowball Bush will grow large, up to 12 tall and 15 feet wide.While they will do fine in partial shade, these plants love the light of a full sun throughout their growing season. Plant your shrubs in an area of your garden where they can bask in the sunshine for at least six hours a day—this is key to helping your snowball bush viburnum grow to its full potential.
How long does it take for a snowball bush to bloom?
Eastern Snowball Bushes begin to bloom in late spring, while Japanese Snowball Trees provide fragrant bulbs earlier in the spring season. The Chinese Snowball is a deciduous, ornamental shrub that produces large balls of double white flowers that bloom all summer long.Meet their low-maintenance cousin – the Snowball Viburnum. Huge clusters of white blooms (just like hydrangeas!The main varieties of snowball viburnum are the Chinese, Japanese and European. It is very common to mix up the different types, since they all produce similar flowers. Sometimes, snowball bushes also get misidentified as hydrangeas, since the flowers appear to be similar from a distance.
Is a snowball bush fast growing?
Since the Snowball Viburnum can reach large sizes for being a flowering shrub they are classified as fast growing. The Snowball Viburnum grows 2 feet per year until they reach their full maturity. Prune the bush after the flowers bloom in spring. Expect viburnum snowball bushes to blossom in May. Heavy pruning should only be done at this time since you can easily destroy next year’s flowers by removing old wood. Deadheading, or cutting off the flowers, won’t harm viburnum.Hello, Your snowball viburnum blooms in the Spring, so it is best to prune it right after it flowers. Prune it any later, and you’ll be cutting off next year’s flowers.
Where is the best place to plant a snowball bush?
The Snowball Bush Viburnum thrives in full sun to partial shade. For optimal flowering, plant it in a location where it can receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. While it can tolerate partial shade, too little sunlight may reduce the number and size of blooms. If it is a Snowball viburnum wait just before it breaks dormancy in the spring. Trim back hard while it is dormant. It will fill out when it starts to grow again. Cut back 1/3 of it now, and when it blooms next year, another good pruning will be good within 6 weeks of the bloom.
Do snowball hydrangeas bloom all summer?
Know Your Hydrangea’s Bloom Time Snowball hydrangea flowers will be rounded and change from pale green to off-white during the summer. The flower heads will remain attractive through summer and into fall. One way to ensure your hydrangeas continue to flower throughout their blooming season is to remove dead flower heads. Deadheading redirects the plant’s energy towards producing new flower heads, leading to an abundant and extended display of blooms.Rule of thumb: If your hydrangea blooms in summer on old wood → only deadhead in fall. If it blooms on new wood (Annabelle, Panicle) → you can leave major pruning for late winter/early spring. Keep your garden healthy and ready for spring with the right care this season.