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A: The best time to prune snowball bush, Viburnum macrocephalum, is after it finishes blooming and the white flowers have turned to brown. Keep in mind that this shrub is naturally quite large. To keep it small, you’ll have to prune it every year after flowering.
Should snowball bushes be cut back?
The Snowball Viburnum is a deciduous shrub, so it sheds its leaves in the fall and blooms form on old wood. If you’re training your Snowball Viburnum Shrub to provide a lot of blooms, prune it back in spring after it has begun blooming to encourage more growth.
How far back can you prune a snowball bush?
Cut from one to three of the oldest branches back to the ground to renew the shrub. You may cut up to one-third of the old stems from overgrown smooth-leaf hydrangeas to the ground to renew them. Renewal may affect the succeeding year’s bloom, so limit its use to overgrown plants or plants whose bloom has fallen off.
When should I cut back my snowball hydrangea?
Snowball hydrangea blooms on the current season’s growth, also called new wood, so pruning in late spring or early summer will remove potential flower buds. It’s best to prune your snowball hydrangea to the ground in late winter so that strong new stems will be encouraged to grow.
Why is my snowball bush not blooming?
For best blooming, provide snowball with at least six hours of direct, full sun each day. Too much shade means few or no blooms. If your snowball bush is planted in a shaded location, this may be why it won’t flower. Consider adjusting the surroundings to let in more sun, or move the shrub to a sunnier spot.
Do snowballs like sun or shade?
Best planted in the fall or spring, snowball bushes appreciate well-drained soil. Choose a planting spot that affords the snowball plenty of room to grow. Snowballs like to spread their roots and some can grow as high as 15 feet. A spot receiving six to eight hours of bright sun each day is ideal.
Can you start a snowball bush from a cutting?
Snowball bush will root from both softwood and hardwood cuttings. Cuttings taken from branches during June or July are usually in the softwood stage. Take 3- to 5-inch cuttings that contain two to four leaves, or for hardwood cuttings, leaf buds.
How big does Snowball bush get?
Snowball bush is relatively easy to grow, is low-maintenance and matures into a large dense bush up to 12 feet tall. It has good drought tolerance. Snowball flowers are green, then turn white and often fade into a rosy pink.
Are hydrangeas and snowball bushes the same?
Although they look similar, snowball bush (Viburnum plicatum) and the snowball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) are actually two different plants. The two are both deciduous shrubs with similar characteristics and some distinctions.
Are there different types of snowball bushes?
The first thing to know about snowball bushes is that there are several different types. The most common is the European snowball bush, which is also called Roseum, according to DIY Network. There are also other types, such as the Japanese snowball bush, Chinese snowball bush, and the fragrant snowball bush.
Where is the best place to plant a snowball bush?
Planting. 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.
Can you hard prune Viburnum?
Prune any of the Viburnum too late in the year and you will forfeit the flowers for a year or more. Most Viburnums can be rejuvenated by cutting back hard. This type of (drastic) pruning should be carried out in the early part of the year in order that the plant may put on growth before the following winter.
When should I cut the flowers off my hydrangea?
If it blooms on old wood (stems from the summer before the current one), its buds are being formed, and if you wait too late you may cut them off, meaning no flowers next spring. So these shrubs should be pruned immediately after their flowers fade.
Can you split snowball hydrangea?
Mature hydrangeas often have several viable perimeter shoots like this that can be dug and divided. It’s a main way hydrangeas expand their territory. If you don’t see any shoots or are getting pieces without roots, entire hydrangea plants can be dug and split into two or more pieces.
How often do snowball bushes bloom?
They produce white, globular flowers for a week to 10 days each spring.
What is the best fertilizer for viburnum?
Blood meal is a smart choice to apply in late winter or spring, as it breaks down rapidly to sweeten the soil for flowering. Later, alfalfa meal, compost, rotted manures and fish emulsion are all safe choices for fertilizing viburnums.
When should I fertilize my snowball bush?
Fertilizing Snowball Bushes Feed your Snowball with a shot of a water-soluble, general-purpose fertilizer every two months from spring to fall. You can also use a well-balanced blend, like 10-10-10, and follow label instructions.
Why is my snowball bush drooping?
If it is still wilted in the morning, usually that is a sign it needs water (or has been flooded). Also, use several inches of organic mulch over the root zone but not touching the stems. This will help keep the soil more evenly moist as well as bit cooler.
When should I take viburnum cuttings?
Autumn, after leaves have fallen, is the best time to take hardwood cuttings, but success has been achieved with those taken in the dead of winter as well. For the novice, spring is probably your best bet as to when to take cuttings from viburnum.
