Symphorycarpos albus

The Symphoricarpos albus, commonly called white snowberry is a bush with a spreading habit valued for its pearlescent white berries, which enliven darker corners of the garden in winter. Its slender and delicate branches arch and gracefully droop. It bears attractive, light foliage, bluish-green with a villous underside. This is a plant that produces numerous suckers, allowing it to spread rapidly and form a dense ground cover in a very short time. Easy to grow in full sun or partial shade in any good garden soil, it is a fail-safe plant that requires no maintenance.

The Symphoricarpos albus belongs to the caprifoliaceae family, just like honeysuckles. This hardy deciduous bush is native to North America, mainly found in the northern United States and Canada. Introduced in the early 19th century, it is a species that has easily naturalised in Western Europe. It is a border species that thrives in temperate and cold climates and tolerates all conditions, except drought and heat. It even tolerates sea spray and urban pollution, often used in urban landscaping to stabilise slopes along roadsides.

The white snowberry forms a bushy and spreading shrub, reaching an average of 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) in all directions, with very rapid growth. Its foliage is late deciduous, composed of small ovate-rounded leaves measuring 2 cm (0.8 in) long, bluish-green on the upper surface but lighter green on the underside. The lamina is slightly villous. Flowering occurs from June to September, in the form of small bell-shaped flowers in clusters, pale pinkish-white, not very noticeable. After pollination by insects, they give way to numerous small berries measuring 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, pearlescent white in colour, resembling pearls but spongy to the touch. They persist for a long time, from September to January. Be careful as these berries are slightly toxic if ingested but are highly appreciated by birds.

Snowberries are known for their hardiness and beautiful winter fruiting. The white snowberry is ideal for covering large areas in challenging areas of the garden, bringing a very polished touch. It will be appreciated for its ease of cultivation in both shade and sun, its rustic appearance, and its pearlescent fruiting. Perfect at the base of a large hedge or in a shaded and bare corner of the garden, for example under a large tree, in a garden that leaves room for nature. Plant it without hesitation on a large slope, above a wall or retaining wall, at the edge of the terrace or a pathway.