Snowberry Bonsai Care

The Snowberry, also know as Symphoricarpos or Ghostberry is a small semi-deciduous shrub that is known for its small white berries and is part of the honeysuckle family.

Snowberry is not commonly used as bonsai, but it has a lot going for it, mostly that it is an extremely fast grower with small leaves. You can read more about its suitability in Is Snowberry A Good Tree For Bonsai?

I dug one up from a garden a few years ago and have been growing it as bonsai ever since. You can see its development in my Snowberry Bonsai Progression.

What Is The Natural Habitat of A Snowberry?

Snowberry is native to North America, but is now naturalised in the UK. It is commonly found in gardens as small bushes, and it is grown for its white berries to add some extra colour in autumn

What Soil Do Snowberry Bonsai Need?

Snowberry prefer a moist, well draining soil. I use my standard mix of equal parts Perlite/Molar Clay/Compost and have not had any problems.

They are quite tough and very vigorous so will probably survive in a less than ideal soil. However, if you are growing one as a bonsai you should give it the best soil possible, which will be something that is well draining as this will produce the best environment for fine root growth.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Do you Water A Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberries often grow on river banks and enjoy plenty of water, but they can also tolerate mild drought. They are very robust trees and can survive in a lot of conditions.

Again, if you are growing them as bonsai you want to give them the best conditions possible and you should aim to water them before they dry out and keep them moist at all times.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does A Snowberry Bonsai Need?

Snowberry trees can take full sun, but they are often found growing in the undergrowth. They can grow in shade, but of course the more sunlight the better. This will really help them grow faster.

I just leave mine in direct sun and it responds very well to this.

How Hardy Are Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberry is hardy down to about -10°C/ 14°F when growing in the ground.

If your temperatures are getting this low I would protect the tree before it reaches this temperature. Being in a pot can make any plant a little more sensitive to the cold. If you are going to have temperatures this low for a sustained amount of time I would place the tree in a sheltered area like a unheated shed or green house. This should be enough to keep them cold with out getting damaged.

I just leave mine out all year round as it is fairly mild and gets no where as cold as that.

(For more info you can read – Working Out How To Over Winter Bonsai Trees)

How Often Do You Feed A Snowberry Bonsai?

I feed my Snowberry once a month during the growing season with a general all purpose fertiliser which is more than enough to keep it healthy.

They are very vigorous growers so too much fertiliser can cause them to easily grow out of control. If you wanting them to grow like this, that is fine, but for most of us, we want to keep things in check, so less can be more.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Snowberry Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

Snowberries respond very well to pruning and ramify well. They back bud easily and will send shoots out everywhere.

The back buds can actually be a problem and you will need to go in and remove a lot of new shoots growing in the crotches of branches. This can be annoying, but it is certainly a good problem to have. The growth can often be long and straight, being able to have back buds to cut back to is a very good solution to this.

If you want your snowberry to flower, you will need to let it grow out, which is not a good look for bonsai. The branches will get very long and leggy before they actually flower.

I usually prune my tree throughout the summer, which of course removes all the tips where any flowers and berries would grow have been removed. I would rather have this than the flowers.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting A Snowberry Bonsai

Snowberries should be repotted in spring as the buds are starting to open. You will potentially end up doing this annually as their roots are as equally aggressive as the top and they can grow very long, very quickly and you will start to notice your pot is full of roots and maybe even growing out the bottom.

You can prune the roots hard and they will not really notice it and bounce back quickly. I have been able to build a root system full of fine feeder roots by working the roots often.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring A Snowberry Bonsai

Snowberries can be wired. You will find the older and thicker branches are very soild and hard to bend and if you push them too far they will easily snap.

It is best to wire younger branches into shape before they stiffen up. You can also do a lot of work with clip and grow, which is probably the best way to build up your secondary branch structure.

(For more info read – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of A Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberries have small oval leaves that are in an opposite pattern along the branch.

What Pests Does A Snowberry Bonsai Suffer From?

Snowberries do not suffer many pests, but they can be affected by powdery mildew.

They are tough and vigorous. If you give them the right care and the right conditions they will be very healthy and unlikely to suffer from any problems.

(Although I have had the whole top section of my tree die back, so they are not immune from problems. I think this was caused by me weakening the tree, alone with poor weather conditions, rather than a pest issue.)

Can You Propagate A Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberries can be easily propagated from cuttings.

I have not tried air laying, but I imagine this will work too. You can also grow them from seed, but this is not easy. The seeds have a very hard outer shell and they can often sit for years in the soil until this shell breaks down enough for the seed to germinate. They can also take a long time to get thick trunks, so seeds are not the best option.

If you want to propagate more snowberries, stick with cuttings, you will have a really high rate of success.

What Is The Growth Rate Of A Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberries grow very fast. They send shoots out from all over the tree and these elongate very quickly.

However, they suffer from the problem of having very long thin growth, that can also take a while to thicken. This can be problematic for bonsai development.

You will have much better success if you can find a tree that had a decent size trunk already, then you only have to focus on building the ramification which is much easier than trying to develop a trunk.

I have seen these growing in the ground for a number of years, but they still have slim trunks, so if you can find one that is thick …try and dig it up.

Should You Get A Snowberry Bonsai?

Snowberries are very easy to care for and are nearly indestructible. They grow quickly and respond well to pruning. So long as you can find a good trunk, you will very quickly have a good tree.

They would make a good tree for a beginner, but their lack of a natural tree form is an issues and means you need to be good at wiring and styling, which can be difficult to manage, especially if the growth is long and straight.

The good thing is they can take some serious work, so as long as you keep working on it, it will become something interesting, even if you are not the most skilled bonsai grower.