If you notice any broken or rotting branches, cut these off with your shears. Through routine maintenance, you can reduce the amount of pruning you need to do in the fall. If you want to rejuvenate your Japanese snowball, this can be done in exactly the same way as described above for the other snowballs. Delicate white bell-shaped flowers droop from the horizontal branches of the Japanese Snowbell. Japanese snowbell trees are deciduous, but they’re not especially showy in the fall. Missouri Botanical Garden: Viburnum Plicatum, University of California Cooperative Extension, Mariposa County: Pruning Flowering Shrubs, Cobb County Extension Service: Snowball Bush, University of California Cooperative Extension Service: Pruning Trees and Shrubs, Clemson Cooperative Extension: Pruning Shrubs. For best results, take cuttings in the spring from shoots with vigorous new growth. Mix some organic matter, such as compost, into the hole before planting. Rake under the shrub to remove dead leaves and twigs. Japanese Snowball Mariesii - Viburnum can be ordered at GardencentreKoeman.co.uk throughout the whole United Kingdom. Japanese snowbell tree is e prized for its graceful spreading canopy and waxy white or pink bell-shape spring flowers. Read on for more Japanese snowball information, including how to plant a Japanese snowball tree. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Prune your Japanese snowbell tree lightly, as severe pruning is not necessary. Family Adoxaceae . The first thing to know about snowball bushes is that there are several different types. These will rejuvenate your viburnum. Prune and remove any dead branches, using anvil pruners for branches under five-eighths inch and loppers for branches up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Use clean, sharp secateurs and place all cuts at least a quarter inch above a leaf node or bud. Water thoroughly once planting is complete. % of people told us that this article helped them. Pruning in June or July. Last Updated: July 10, 2019 Prune a snowball viburnum bush by sterilizing the equipment, cutting off flowers and cutting back the older branches before the fall. see more; Family Adoxaceae . Pour a cap full of bleach in a bowl of water. Prune a snowball viburnum bush by sterilizing the equipment, cutting off flowers and cutting back the older branches before the fall. Pruning Viburnum isn’t necessary. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, it’s quite normal then that it would be losing its leaves. You want to do it anytime after the first freeze through the end of winter. Warnings If the viburnum is pruned in the early spring, the plant will not produce flowers. Remove a full one-third of all stems, and also remove any water sprouts or suckers at ground level. Although the snowball flowers bloom on old wood in viburnum plants, the oldest shoots produce weak flowers and are safe to remove. To complete this project, you need bleach, a bowl of water, two clean cloths and pruning shears. Snowball trees … Both are called snowball bush by commoners. Try to trim some of the old branches back every fall so your hydrangea always has fresh growth. It is quite lovely as a little tree, with the Fairy Rose growing next to it, as well as azaleas, ferns and artemesia. Prune your snowball viburnum lightly throughout the growing season to harvest flowers and remove any dying, damaged or diseased foliage and branches. Approved. We are dealing with orders as quickly as we can and will be in touch about delivery if you already have an order with us. I have done it both ways but prefer to leave them alone. Warning If the viburnum is pruned in the early spring, the plant will not produce flowers. It works well as a specimen plant with its natural round shape and thick green foliage or it can be incorporate . Prune the bush after the flowers bloom in spring. Summary: Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonica) is a tree which can be grown as a small shrub or tree for interesting spring flowers as well as a good screening tree. This article has been viewed 84,552 times. Birds love the fruit of this viburnum. Japanese snowball viburnum has, as the name suggests, a connection to Japan. Trim dead, diseased or damaged branches in late winter or early spring. As the Japanese snowball flowers later in the year, it must be pruned at a later stage. Some branches did not have blooms this year. Prune Japanese snowball in early to mid-summer, after the bush finishes blooming. Viburnum plicatum is known as the ‘Japanese snowball tree’ and is native to Japan, Chine, Korea and Taiwan and is used widely as a feature plant in the garden border. Share. De Jauregui authored 50 Fabulous Tomatoes for Your Garden, available as an ebook. You can cut snowball hydrangeas to the ground every year. Sanitize the pruning shears. It keeps them safe from disease during the summer season. European snowball viburnum is Viburnum opulus ‘Sterile’ or ‘Roseum’. Easy to grow with few pests, pruning a Japanese snowball is usually a matter of shaping the shrub and removing dead branches. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 84,552 times. The Japanese Snowball is a beautiful, showy shrub that produces large, white flower clusters in the spring attracting butterflies. Snowball bushes are known for the puffy, white flowers that bloom on them year after year. Check on my japanese snowball bush Viburnum are attacked by aphids and whiteflies, especially if they are weakened by poor growing conditions. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. For example, the Japanese snowball bush blooms in the middle of spring and change colors from white to pink, turning burgundy and red in the fall. On many varieties the cymes contain showy, 5-petaled infertile flowers that surround small, visually … Soak the clean cloth in the mixture, and wring out the excess water. In this case, 93% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Transplant a small snowball sapling into your garden or grow it from a branch cutting from an existing tree. Consider the mature size of the Japanese snowball before planting in the garden. About Japanese Snowball Trees. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Planting a Snowball Tree From a Sapling Pick the right spot to plant the sapling. Both have medium-sized (3 – 5 inch) blooms, borne at the ends of branches, and the leaves have three major lobes, much like a maple. Styrax (Japanese snowball) This shrubby tree should be trained as a single-leader initially, allowing a feathered crown of branches on a short trunk, so that the leader is only slightly more dominant than the surrounding side shoots. Garden care: Keep the pruning of young plants to a minimum. It makes it a wonderful addition to a patio garden or landscape bed. When planting the Japanese snowball bush, dig a space one and one-half the size of the container the shrub is currently in. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Put on gloves and safety glasses to protect your hands, skin and eyes. This large shrub is the perfect focal plant for small yards instead of a tree. Snowball trees, also known as Chinese snowball viburnum, are striking shrubs that look great in any garden. However, doing it isn’t necessary and prevents the plant from growing berries. That's the first place this snowball viburnum bush was spotted in a garden setting. After trimming back the plant, you may want to wait and watch it grow back. Younger trees can have their lower branches pruned all the way back to the trunk of the tree. Details 'Mariesii' is a large deciduous shrub with wide-spreading, tiered branches and prominently veined, dark green, ovate leaves, purple in autumn. This makes it easy to use for … The Japanese snowball is sterile; it will not produce fruits. By maintaining the bush regularly, you likely won’t need to do this. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Leave behind the thinner, fresher shoots coming up from the plant’s base. Keep reading to learn more Japanese snowbell information, such as planting Japanese snowbell trees and subsequent Japanese snowbell care. Thin interior and crossing branches as needed to allow light and air circulation in the center of the shrub. Japanese snowbell tree is a popular small tree for home gardens. Growing to a height and spread of up to 10 feet or more, the snowball bush may be planted as hedge, privacy screen or focal shrub. In areas where the sky is often covered, planting in a clear spot is possible. Hydrangea blossoms stay on the plant for about 2 months, longer than viburnum blooms. Pruning to shape the viburnum shrub, should be done straight after flowering because these shrubs only flower on old wood. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Wear long sleeves, pants and shoes when pruning to avoid scratches from the branches. Viburnum Kilimanjaro also known as Japanese Snowball and Kilimanjaro Sunrise is an exciting new Viburnum, more upright and compact than other viburnum cultivars. Snowball Bush Facts. Blooming on both old and new wood, this Viburnum withstands tough conditions and outlasts the competition. Rejuvenation pruning can be performed on old, overgrown plants. No routine pruning is necessary. Viburnum plicatum is known as the ‘Japanese snowball tree’ and is native to Japan, Chine, Korea and Taiwan and is used widely as a feature plant in the garden border. The best time to do this is around May, after the flowers bloom, although it can be done anytime as needed. see more; Family Adoxaceae . If you see a white felting on the leaves - powdery mildew - it is because your plant lacks water, or that its foliage is too dense. "Great site! http://homeguides.sfgate.com/difference-between-snowball-bush-hydrangea-52472.html, https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-prune-viburnums/, https://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/flowering-shrub-chinese-snowball-viburnum, https://ask.extension.org/questions/320239, https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=168, https://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/what-is-the-best-way-to-care-for-a-snowball-hydrangea-that-survived-winter-but-did-not-flower-in-the-summer/, http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-86.pdf, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. At 10 to 15 feet tall and equally wide, it can also serve as a tall hedge. The shrub's flowers, fall color, multiple stems and interesting winter branch pattern make it a year-round focal point in the garden. 3 litre pot: £21.99: 3 litre pot ... its distinctive, horizontal habit works particularly well in a Japanese-style garden. Japanese Snowball Mariesii - Viburnum is a product from our specially selected garden Plants assortment. The packaging contains detailed instructions for use. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/31\/Prune-a-Snowball-Bush-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-a-Snowball-Bush-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/31\/Prune-a-Snowball-Bush-Step-1.jpg\/aid10077733-v4-728px-Prune-a-Snowball-Bush-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"