Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Common Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus, also know in some parts as waxberry, is a plant that dominates the Northern half of our restoration site.  As you walk the U shaped foot path you will notice a large thicket of green opposite 2-5 cm long oval leaves.  That, my friend, is Snowberry.  The leaf edges can be either smooth or wavy toothed.  The stems can be yellowy green to green.  On the more mature parts of the plant the stems can also be brownish and slightly woody looking.

From the end of June through the beginning of August the Snowberry will start to bloom with clusters of small upside down urn shaped flowers.  The flowers can range from all white to white with some pink to fully pink on the end of the branches.  The flowers are popular with bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

The flowers will fall off in the Fall and 6-15 mm white berries will appear.  These berries are poisonous to humans, but a great winter treat for local song birds.

http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/Handler.ashx?Size=M&ImageID=876

Snowberry spreads through rhizomatous, which are underground masses of roots and shoots from a main stalk or node, and seeds.  Through the expansion of rhizomatous the Snowberry is able to form the massive thicket that you see on the restoration site.

If you are looking to make a hedge or need to fill a blank area in your yard Snowberry can be a great fit.  It is easily managed and can be pruned.  It also provides food and habitat for native fauna, which makes it perfect for attracting beneficial insects and birds to you yard.  You can acquire this plant at many nurseries in the area.  Snowberry can be planted in full to partial sun.  It will grow most vigorously in partial sun.  As with any new planting, you will want to make sure to keep it well watered for the first year while it's roots are establishing in the new soil.  Once you have one plant established on your property you can using cuttings to do live staking, or you can dig up the little suckers that grow off the main plant for transplanting in other areas.  Live staking and transplanting should both be done in the Winter months, while the plant is hibernating, and there is plenty of rain in the Spring for the roots to get established.