Alabama Snow-wreath

Size, growth and what to expect

It grows at a medium pace, about a foot and a half a year in our growth estimator. It forms a rounded clump 3 to 6 feet tall and wide, sometimes 10 feet tall, of slender stems that arch with age. Root suckers thicken it into a thicket.

Clusters of 2 to 10 flowers open at the branch tips from late March into May. Each is about an inch across, a puff of 100 or more white stamens with no petals. Small, dry fruits form from late spring into fall, but their seeds rarely if ever ripen, and no seedling has ever been found in the wild. The leaves turn yellow in fall.

It grows on steep, rocky slopes over limestone, sandstone or shale and along streams in hardwood forest, in light to heavy shade. It was last seen in Missouri in 1918. Gardens have grown it since soon after its discovery in 1857, as far north as Boston and Chicago.

How to grow Alabama Snow-wreath

Alabama snow-wreath grows in part shade, full sun or shade, in average, well-drained soil that is close to neutral. It takes dry spells once it is rooted. Its roots send up suckers, so pull the ones you do not want to keep a single clump. Set plants 5 feet apart, and keep each one 3 feet from a wall. It is small enough to grow within 15 feet of overhead wires.

Saplings ship bare-root or potted. Plant them dormant, from leaf fall until bud swell, in a hole wider than the roots and no deeper. Set the crown at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the stems.

Water weekly through the first summer, and give it a deep soak once a week in later dry spells. It blooms on last year's wood, so prune right after flowering, cutting tired or dead stems out at the base. An old or overgrown clump can be cut to the ground to renew it.

Each flower carries both male and female parts, so there are no male and female plants to pair. Seeds rarely ripen in the wild. Some growers list seed among the ways to raise it. It roots easily from softwood cuttings, and a clump can be divided. It is a short-lived shrub, but no serious pests or diseases trouble it.