Viburnum
When you buy a Viburnum bush, you get a versatile flowering shrub. They usually
have fragrant flowers, eye-catching fruits and 
decorative foliage that also glows in autumn.
Viburnum dentatum 'Blue Muffin' - strikingly beautiful, steel blue fruits
£19.90 *
Compound Fertiliser Plus & Seasonal Fertiliser Plus
Instead of: £35.40 * £28.40 *
The compound fertiliser with a soil improvement additive
From £21.40 *
More information about the Viburnum
Some of the shrubs are evergreen or even flower in winter. The genus Viburnum also contains native species such as the common snowball and the wayfaring tree, which are very suitable for natural gardens. Their flowers magically attract bees and other insects - the berries are also good bird food. You can use a snowball bush in many ways: It serves as a privacy screen, forms a flowering hedge collectively, and some species also have a special effect as solitary shrubs.
A snowball will delight you as a winter bloomer or with its rich flowering in the spring. The V. opulus 'Roseum' is the actual eponym of the shrubs. In May, it forms magnificent, white flower balls that have an enormous long-distance effect.
Table of Contents
Table of contents
Snowball bush - Viburnum from the Lubera online shop
Pruning and protective measures
Snowball bush - Viburnum from the Lubera online shop
At Lubera you will find a wide range of snowball bushes for your individual needs. Below are a few recommendations from our shop:
- The easy to care for Koreanspice Viburnum has countless pink-white, umbel-shaped flowers, which exude an intense, sweet scent
- The Bodnant Viburnum shows its buds in November and delights in the dark season with its pink, fragrant flowers
- The David Viburnum is a beautiful ground cover for shady or partially hady areas
Things to know
The genus Viburnum belongs to moschatel family. Snowballs grow loosely or densely branched and usually broad-bosomed. Depending on the species, they grow between 0.5 and five metres high. There are evergreen and deciduous species.
The shrubs develop ball-shaped or plate-shaped inflorescences, which are composed of many pure white or pale pink-coloured umbel-like or panicle-like partial inflorescences. Their flowering period often extends from April to June - but there are also winter-flowering types. The berry-like drupes usually glow in red or blue-black - and these are less decorative in the double snowball.
The common snowball (Viburnum opulus) is native to Central Europe. Other names include guelder-rose, water elder, cramp bark and European cranberrybush. The names are due to its translucent red fruit or the interesting stone inside the fruit, which reminds one of a heart. It likes to grow on the banks of brooks, rivers and lakes and on the edges of damp forests.
These plants generally prefer damp garden soils that are rich in humus. They like a place in the sun but can also cope with a semi-shady location.
Planting and maintenance
The trees and shrubs are easy to care for - assuming the right location. A mulch layer after planting is beneficial, as is fertilisation with horn shavings. Frost-sensitive species can be wrapped in a fleece during the winter. However, most snowball species are very hardy and robust especially the evergreen wrinkled viburnum.
Make sure you have a good water supply because a Viburnum does not like the dry ground (although it does not like stagnant water either).
In a container
Your snowball bush can also be kept in a container. In a planter, however, the winter hardiness is somewhat limited, so that the container should be made winterproof accordingly (insulation with fleece, polystyrene, coconut matting, etc.). In particular, the evergreen, somewhat frost-sensitive Mediterranean snowball can be cultivated well in a container on a terrace and can overwinter well insulated in a sun and wind-protected place against the house wall. In return, it delights the plant lover already in the cold season with its intensely fragrant flowers.
Pruning and protective measures
Snowballs do not require regular pruning, as they do not become overgrown and always bloom profusely. If the shrub becomes too dense, you can remove the branches close to the ground after flowering. It is important that you only thin out the shrub, as the plant only sparsely shoots out of the old wood. It is best to wear protective gloves for cutting - breathing protection may also be useful. This is because many snowball species are slightly poisonous, especially if hairs grow on the underside of the leaves. This can lead to allergic reactions and breathing difficulties.
Winter protection
Snowballs are often only conditionally hardy - young plants are particularly sensitive. If necessary, apply a protective layer of compost or leaves in autumn to prevent the soil from freezing. An additionally applied fleece protects the upper part of the plant.
Consider toxicity
If you buy this plant, you should know that its bark is poisonous. It forms drupes which are red, blue or blue-black when ripe. The fruits are inedible to slightly poisonous, but there are birds that like to eat them. If you have children in the house, it is better not to plant snowballs in your garden!