Canada Plum vs Snowball Viburnum - TreeTime.ca

Canada Plum vs Snowball Viburnum

Viburnum opulus Roseum

Prunus nigra

Snowball Viburnum
Canada Plum

Snowball Viburnum is a popular ornamental shrub with prolific flowering. This plant is prized for its round clusters of white flowers that resemble snowballs, delighting children and adults. In fall, its leaves turn vibrant shades of red.

Snowball Viburnum is sought after as a single accent shrub, but can also make a dense hedge or privacy screen.

Canada Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America with small red fruit. They ripen in mid to late summer, with bitter, astringent skin surrounding sweet, slightly acidic flesh that clings to the stone. While some enjoy eating the plums fresh, they are more commonly used for baking and preserves. It is considered a universal pollinizer for other plum varieties and is often used for grafting or as a rootstock.

White to pink flowers appear in spring, often before the leaves, providing an early source of nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators. Birds and other wildlife also feed on the fruit, adding to its ecological value. Canada Plum can grow as a small tree or large, multi-stemmed shrub. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Snowball Viburnum Quick Facts

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $7.99 - SAVE UP TO 38%
Lowest Price: $9.99 - SAVE UP TO 41%
Zone: 3b
Zone: 2b
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: high


Fall colour: purplish-red
Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: gold to gray
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: white
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: european cranberrybush, guelder rose, snowball bush, snowball tree
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum