What is this?

[farmettehopeful]

First of all, I hope the pics show up for you because I am not sure how to do this yet! This bush/tree has been here since we moved in 5 years ago. It has very pretty whitish balls of flowers every year but also a lot of dead looking sticks on the underside. When I searched for it, the only thing I found was viburnum (sp?) is that what this is?

The flower is one of the many dead ones still attached or falling off from last years bloom!

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Gramma had one of those in her yard ...called it a snowball bush.
Not really helpful, was I?

 

[farmettehopeful]

Actually yes you were MissDaisey because from what I have read the snowball bush is a viburnum. I just wasn't sure (it's hard to tell on internet pics) if mine had the same flowerings as one though and since mine is more tree like than the big bushes shown online. So I am going to take your opinion as fact and read up on it to try to get it to bloom more and get rid of the dead branches this year Thank you!

 

[ninnymary]

Well, I don't know what it is but just wanted to say that I LOVE that stone fence!

Mary

 

[Jared77]

I'm with Ninny LOVE the fence!!!!

 

[catjac1975]

First of all, I hope the pics show up for you because I am not sure how to do this yet! This bush/tree has been here since we moved in 5 years ago. It has very pretty whitish balls of flowers every year but also a lot of dead looking sticks on the underside. When I searched for it, the only thing I found was viburnum (sp?) is that what this is?
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/9071_bush_flowers.jpg http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/9071_bush.jpg

The flower is one of the many dead ones still attached or falling off from last years bloom!

Cut it back to a bit smaller shape and you will be covered in bloom. Don't wait much longer.

 

[farmettehopeful]

I love the stone too....unfortunately it is caving in :-( it has the built in planters that work great....except for the one below this bush! The tree is already budding so I have to wait til this fall to cut back right?!

 

[897tgigvib]

Adoxaceae (used to be in Caprifoliaceae family) Viburnum Snowball Bush it is!

Lantana is one of the more common species of Viburnum.

Some folks call them Hydrangeas or False Hydrangeas, but they are not Hydrangeas. Many Viburnums grow farther north than Hydrangeas, and since they look alike, and fill the same or similar landscape niches, northern nurseries might refer to them as Hydrangeas or False Hydrangeas.

Viburnums are one of the older plant groups, and were around when the last of the Dinosaurs were still around!

Your flower has an especially nice rounded form to it! It is a keeper! It may be one of the hybrids. Some of the species will cross with other species within the Viburnum Genus...which simply tells me Botanists have not yet aligned up the species of Viburnum yet, just as they have not yet got Rose species aligned up properly yet either.

Main thing is, you have a winner here!

 

[farmettehopeful]

Thank you so much for your knowledge marshallsmyth! I can't say that I have seen any that look like this around town so I hope I can get it back to it's glory for next years blooms! I also found a plant in my lilac bush but confirmed after online searches that it is barberry bush (it bit me when I was weeding the neglected area!) so I hope to transplant that this year and finally make this yard a home!
Thank you all for your wonderful help...I love this site

 

[897tgigvib]

Barberry bushes are cool too. There are a lot of domesticated varieties, and folks have done crossing with Barberry from the orient and other places and come up with some nice tame ones. The wild American Barberry is a nice big plant to have, especially as a specimen or as a big ole hedge, and they can help keep out 2 legged varmints too, or at least make them traceable! Barberry is very trimmable, and can basically do almost anything you want!

Yep, separate that Barberry from the Lilac, I suggest during late dormancy of the Lilac, and have a place prepared for it, and a purpose for it, how you want to prune it all planned out.

I just found this site a month ago, and I love it so much I'm phasing out my facebook, and sticking around here.