Chinese Snowball Viburnum

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-10 Feet

Mature Spread

6-10 Feet

Growing Zones

6 to 9

• USDA Hardiness Zones 6 - 9
• Height: 12 - 15 Feet
• Width: 8 - 12 feet

Chinese Snowball Viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum, is a beautiful shrub with hydrangea-like flowers to include in your landscape. With a rounded form and a semi-evergreen nature, this shrub blooms in the late spring with large, 8-inch white flowers. They start out with a light green tint, but develop into elegant, snowball-sized flowers. During the other seasons, this shrub has simple green leaves that make it a great backdrop for other plants in the landscape. These are large shrubs that can grow up to 12 feet tall and wide.

The Chinese Snowball Viburnum is native to China, but does excellent in growing zones 6 to 9. These shrubs are great in mass plantings to create backgrounds, borders or hedges. The dark leaves are semi-evergreen in southern regions. Which means that some of the leaves fall off, but some of the foliage is there all year. The flowers are the size of softballs, and the bushes are often covered in the flowers from April through May (depending on where you live).

Chinese Snowball Viburnum Care

Plant this viburnum in moist, well-drained soil. If the soil doesn't drain well, you can notice by looking at the base of the plant after a good rain. If there are puddles, that is a good indication that you should add more dirt around the shrub creating a mound. This should help. We also recommend adding mulch to the base of the plant to help retain moisture and protect the roots during periods of harsh weather. Prevent the shrub from being exposed to cold, drying winds in the winter.

Fertilizing is not required and this plant does not need heavy feeding. Too much fertilizer can harm the plant and promote rotting. If you do choose to fertilize the plant, use a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer designed for woody material. Apply during early spring.

These plants do not produce seeds which means they are a non-invasive plant that is botanically sterile. This also means the plants do not produce fruit like other viburnums will. The flowers are more for show, as they do not have a fragrance to them. The plants are not toxic to pets or humans according to the ASPCA website. However, a mild stomach ache could occur if humans consume any part of the plant.

Pruning Chinese Snowball Viburnum

Be sure to prune after the flowers have died in the early summer. Do this every 3 to 5 years to rejuvenate the plant. Remove the oldest and fattest stems all the way to the ground, which will allow the younger stems to produce the best looking flowers. You can also do light trimming on the plant every year, by lightly shaping the plant and removing any dead branches. Pinch or deadhead spent blooms to help promote new growth.

Chinese Snowball Viburnum Spacing

For an informal hedge or mass planting, space this shrub out at least 18 feet on-center. For a more formal, dense hedge, plant shrubs 12 to 15 feet center-to-center. These require very large garden planters if you choose to grow these in a container, but it can be done if there is good drainage and enough room for the plant to grow. 

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