Chinese Snowball Viburnum vs. Hydrangea: How to Tell Them Apart

Identifying the Big White Shrubs in May

Those 10-foot-tall, white-flowered shrubs blooming in early May are almost certainly Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum), not hydrangeas. The flower heads look nearly identical, causing frequent confusion.

Four "Snowball" Viburnums

To complicate matters, there are actually four different viburnums commonly called "snowball." A handy identification key is available at bit.ly/GAsnowball to help you distinguish them by leaf shape, bloom time, and growth habit.