Snowball Viburnum vs Wild Privet - TreeTime.ca

Snowball Viburnum vs Wild Privet

Viburnum opulus roseum

Ligustrum vulgare

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Snowball Viburnum
Wild Privet

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.

Wild Privet is a fast growing ornamental shrub that is well suited for forming hedges and privacy screens. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They have small white flowers, though the smell is often considered unpleasant. While the berries are inedible, they are a good food source for many bird species.

It is recommended to prune Wild Privet immediately after flowering, as it can readily self seed. It is deer and rabbit tolerant. It can grow in dry areas, on slopes, and withstand the wind making it well suited for many growing conditions.

Snowball Viburnum Quick Facts

Wild Privet Quick Facts

Zone: 3b
Zone: 5a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium


Toxicity: If ingested, all parts of this plant will cause severe discomfort. Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses
Fall colour: purplish-red
Bark: gold to gray
Flowers: white
Flowers: white
Berries: black
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: european cranberrybush, guelder rose, snowball bush, snowball tree
Other Names: common privet, european privet