Chinese Snowball Viburnum…Now This Is What Buying A Brand New Shovel Is For!

Although it resembles a hydrangea in many ways and particularly with its flowers, this incredible plant is actually a Chinese Snowball Viburnum. Planting a great specimen like this one is the main reason that I bought a new shovel, not to dig out and replace my old waste drain line!

To me, this is a “classic” Southern plant, and it does like a warmer climate. It should remain evergreen here in my Tidewater Virginia yard, though in more northernly regions it will be deciduous. The biggest challenge was finding the perfect spot for viewing from my sunroom throughout the year.

Evergreen Shrub…height 10 feet, width 10 feet, 6-8 inch clusters of white flowers from May to June. (Mine was blooming in the latter part of the summer when I bought it, though this is most likely because it originally came from a nursery in a more southern state.)

Light…full sun to partial shade, protect from strong afternoon sun.

Water…provide medium moisture.

Site and Soil…USDA zones 6-9, well-drained slightly acid soil but can tolerate alkaline conditions, provide shelter from cold, drying winds.

Pruning and Special Care…prune shortly after flowering to remove dead wood and shape, fertilize after planting and again after flowering.

This photograph was taken September 2014, just before my waste drain line caused a major excavation and repair job. I wish that my brand new shovel had been used first to plant this incredible specimen, but that did not happen until much later!

One Very Favorite Tree (that has given much more than it has taken in time and sweat)

I love the smell of magnolia blossoms. Just as they begin to open, you can cup your hands around the open bowl formed by the petals and inhale the sweet almost overpowering fragrance. The perfume is still quite strong even when fully opened. It is the smell of Southern homes.

When I bought my house, almost a quarter of the yard was overgrown with trees, shrubs, and some really evil thorny vines. I did not see the magnolia tree in all of that on my first visit. When I did see it, I was pleased by this “wish list” item.

I closed on my house on a Thursday, and right away began working. I had arranged to have Thursday and Friday off from my day job even though I still had to work my night job. I had planned a tentative home and yard project schedule for these four days.

Taking up all of the cat soiled shag carpeting was the top priority, then the faded wallpaper, then the heavy drapes and valances. There was so much to do, but I made a start. I set aside three days for indoor projects and then one day, Sunday, for outdoor projects.

Sunday morning I worked up on the roof, sealing around the chimneys where there had been some water damage that I had noticed in the attic. It was nice to be up on the roof, my roof, surveying my neighborhood. Someone played jazz on a saxophone a few doors down.

Sunday afternoon I began tackling the overgrown area of the yard with the sole purpose of rescuing my magnolia tree. I just wanted to get some sun to it at first. Later everything around it would be removed. I wanted it to bloom, but it looked much too sun-starved.

There was a lot of work with a chainsaw, shovel, mattock, and pruners in that section of the yard with more work even now still needed, but several years later, I was rewarded by magnolia blossoms. Each year there are more. This year some were right at my nose level.