Friday, June 5, 2015

Minnesota Snowball

There is a shrub (word used loosely) here in Minnesota that all the natives call a Snowball Bush or a Minnesota Snowball.

Snowball bush

This was a photo back on  May  23 2015.   It was in bud.

This towering shrub began as a little stick back around 2000 or maybe 2001. 

Minnesota Snowball Viburnum opulus Roseum

Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’  or Minnesota Snowball.  A very old plant…the settlers must have carted it to Minnesota.  It is a Zone 3 plant/shrub.  It can withstand Minnesota winters and droughts…which is a good thing as I never water it.

Lots of snowballs

This year was a good year for blooms.  Perhaps it was the dry winter…it figured it better bloom before it croaked.  Photos taken on June 4 2015.

Snowball bush quite tall

As you can see it is quite tall…I will guess it is nine feet tall.  I should trim it back some after it is done blooming.  Sometimes the flowers are used as cut flowers but I will just enjoy them on the tree.

Often times this plant gets all confused with the Hydrangeas like ‘Annabelle’ who blooms in late July or early August here in Minnesota.

So now you have seen a Minnesota Snowball in June.

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27 comments:

  1. I think it's pretty- I don't see many snowball bushes around here, but I would love to try one and see if I could get it to grow.

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  2. Interesting plant. When I was a child, a neighbor had a hedge of bushes something like your snowball bush. I remember its flowers being greenish most of the time, only white for a few days.

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  3. Morning, I love the plant, such pretty little white snowballs.Blessings Francine.

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  4. I have never seen one that tall before. It is very pretty. Thanks for a "snowball" in June. Have a great weekend.

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  5. Thank you! I've always called those snowballs, and I guess I wasn't wrong. Still, I always wondered if I should have put them in the hydrangea category. And now I know their proper name.

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  6. What an amazing flowering bush (tree?). I didn't know they existed but I always had a large snowball bush and loved it.

    Shirley H

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  7. Pretty, and I certainly hope these are the only snowballs you'll be seeing in Minnesota in June. :-)

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  8. The blossoms look very much like our hydrangeas here in No. Calif., which are already blooming. We need drought resistant right now!

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  9. We had one of these in Illinois, and I loved seeing it in bloom.

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  10. 9 feet is a tall shrub!!! Yes, I can see why the word is used "loosely"!

    :)

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  11. No I am sure there is a Snowball Hydrangea too it will bloom in July or August.

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  12. I would call that a Viburnum or maybe a Guelder Rose. They can grow very tall in North London if you don't prune them back. We have a wild version growing in the local wood.

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  13. I've seen these bushes at old farmsteads. They are pretty when blooming.

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  14. Ah, that's the kind of snowballs I like!

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  15. I love this. I would just enjoy the blooms outside, too. Hope you both have a good day.

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  16. Very pretty and I love the name!

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  17. I think I wouldn't be able to resist adding them to a bouquet for the kitchen table.

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  18. I've seen that shrub around here, too! Maybe in this area they call it Jersey Snowball!

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  19. This looks like a very hardy attractive plant.

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  20. Educational! Apparently "every Minnesotan" (except me) knows this plant) though I do have dozens of Annabelles scattered throughout my oak woods...:)

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  21. I love those bushes and remember them from when I was a child...that was in Illinois. The pioneers must have dropped some seeds on their way to Minnesota! LOL!

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  22. We have one of these in our front lawn it was here when we moved in 36 years ago it is a very pretty hard tree and beautiful. Hug B

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  23. My wife has a cousin that keeps trying to get me to explain the snowball thing. I tell her viburnums are different than hydangea but read the label as I don't really know that much about them. My old fashion hydrangea is budding right now and I had to cut the dead heads off of it for some reason. My viburnum isn't as tall as yours but I think it could be if I didn't keep cutting it back.

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  24. Ah! Snowballs! My grandmother had snowball bushes along her house. Minnesota memories. ;)

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  25. YAY! A Snowball in June...I love your flower...I would NOT want a snowball made of snow now. It's cold and raining here.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/sherlock-boomer

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  26. That looks like a shrub I need to have! Love those tough buggers and it looks really pretty when it blooms.

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments! If you have a question I will try to answer it here. I no longer accept anonymous comments. All comments will be approved before posting...due to spammers...may the fleas of a thousand camels infest every hair on his body. Connie