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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.
When can you cut back snowball bushes?
The best time to prune your Viburnum snowball bush is after the flowers bloom in spring, since you can destroy next year’s flowers if you prune it too early or late. Use a clean, sharp pair of shears to cut the oldest, thickest shoots as near to the ground as you can to get rid of them.
Should you cut back snowball bushes in the fall?
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 do 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.
How do you care for a snowball bush?
Snowball bushes thrive in full sunlight to partial shade. While these plants grow successfully in nearly any condition, including wet soils, drought, and both alkaline and acid pH levels, ideal conditions include moist, well-drained soil, says Missouri State University School of Agriculture.
Why is my snowball bush not blooming?
Stressful conditions can put snowball’s flowers on hold. If soil moisture levels are off, blooming may cease. Snowball bush prefers consistently moist soils with excellent drainage. If lacking water or receiving too much, a stressed snowball bush may stop flowering.
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.
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 a 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.
Do deer eat snowball bushes?
The snowball bush, also known as the snowball virburnum or Viburnum x burkwoodii, offers some resistance to browsing deer. According to the University of Georgia, deer tend to avoid plants with strong fragrances. The snowball bush produces fragrant blossoms, which can help to deter deer.
Where do snowball bushes grow best?
Planting Snowball Bushes Snowball bushes are perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on species and cultivar, and they prefer full sun but also do well with partial shade. Best planted in the fall or spring, snowball bushes appreciate well-drained soil.
How do I prune an overgrown Viburnum?
Immediately after it flowers next spring, remove dead stems and suckers, and prune out one-third of the oldest stems. Continue removing the oldest stems each spring until the plant has an attractive and natural-looking shape.
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 change the color of a snowball bush?
Add lime to your soil if the pH is low, but you prefer pink flowers. Apply agricultural lime or ground dolomitic limestone in the spring and again in the fall. The amount of lime necessary depends on the pH of your current soil and the product you select.
What kind of fertilizer do you use on a 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.
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.
Does viburnum flower on old or new wood?
The flower buds set on new growth in late summer or early fall. The buds develop throughout the winter and open the following spring. This means that no matter when a viburnum is trimmed, it still has to wait for new growth in early spring and bud set in late summer or fall before it will bloom the following spring.
Do snowballs like acidic soil?
The snowball bush prefers well-drained, loamy soil but it isn’t too particular and grows well in many different soil types. It tolerates a wide range of soil pH but prefers moderately acidic soil.
