Snowberry

Questions about snowberry

Does snowberry need sun or shade?

Snowberry grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does snowberry grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does snowberry flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should snowberry be planted?

4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many snowberry plants do I need?

Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is snowberry poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The berries cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like snowberry?

These come closest to doing what snowberry does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Virginia rose: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in taller, medium leaves, not fine.
• Purple beautyberry: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; medium leaves, not fine.
• Glossy abelia: the same job in a bed; 12 in taller, flowers mid June to early October.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat snowberry?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

Will snowberry spread?

It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.

What flowers after snowberry?

Snowberry is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall.
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does snowberry look like in winter?

Snowberry drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for white berries in autumn and winter. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.

Is snowberry good for bees and butterflies?

Snowberry is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and songbirds.

It is a host plant: the caterpillars of snowberry clearwing feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.

It is native to the United States and Canada.