Chinese snowball

My wife was driving so I could look down the alleys and side streets. I spied this beautiful specimen of Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum) blooming its heads off in the side yard of a friend.

The official temperature in our hometown of McKinney dropped to a record low -4F the morning of February 16, 2021. The normally tough-as-a-boot Elaeagnus growing beside the snowball was wounded badly and may or may not survive. But the Chinese snowball is forging ahead and wasn’t affected at all.

Facts to remember…
• Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum)
• Native to China
• Hardiness Zones 6-9
• Mature height: 8-12 feet, sometimes taller
• Mature width: 6-10 feet
• Blooms April with very large showy flowers (species name means “large head”)
• Morning sun, afternoon shade
• Moist, highly organic planting soil
• Prefers acidic soils, but tolerates slightly alkaline soils quite well
• Deciduous
• Prune immediately after it finishes blooming
• Nice alternative to dogwoods where they are difficult to grow