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Symphoricarpos albus snowberry — 30 Comments

  1. Snowberry appears all around my neighborhood. I used to like to squish the berries as I walked to school. I can’t say I like the shrub very much. It’s rather awkward. One appeared on the bank behind my house. I have let it be, since I can’t really see it, except when I park the car. But in planning a native garden for the new house, I have left it off the list. Thanks for your comment on the Portland Japanese Garden. Sad to say, the Seattle Japanese Garden is closed in winter.

  2. Thanks Pam and a happy new year to you and your family. It has been interesting and a pleasure finding out how you have adapted to living in the USA.

  3. Thanks Linnie, Happy new year to you and your family also. Hard cider, I guess that will be strong stuff, great for a headache if my memory serves me right.

  4. Love that snowberry. Next week my husband will put the Christmas tree outside and I’ll decorate it with treats for the birds.
    Thank you for a great year of postings. Love visiting your blog. Wishing you and Myra a Happy New Year! P. x

  5. And you have real snow too! But I agree the snowberry is useful, very native here, growing in woods and along roads, and I have planted it in my wilder garden area as well. I’m so impressed with Myra’s homemade bird treats! We made dog cookies for Max this Christmas– he loves them too. Sometimes we forget that all these things are possible to mix up at home. Next fall, hard cider! Happy new year to you and Myra!

  6. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I live in the South/USA and to see what you can grow that we can’t even think of growing makes me mighty envious. But it is most enjoyable and I follow you as often as possible. Thanks!

  7. Alistair, so interesting to see you feature this plant. I very much take it for granted here, as it grows wild all over our property. It’s native to this part of the Central California coast. We have both forms here, the upright form you have here, and the ‘creeping snowberry’ Symphoricarpos mollis. It’s not always the tidiest plant, but growing in the woodland understorey, it is a very durable, carefree plant, and love seeing the beautiful berries this time of year.

    Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

  8. I don’t know snowberry, so I’m wondering if it would take our heat. So many things don’t. For instance, I tried to make some bird treats similar to Myra’s one year – but it’s so warm here, it just melted! :O Have a very Merry Christmas!

  9. Although I love snowberry, and have certainly used it in lots of floral arrangements over the years, I find the shrub runs in my garden. A boundary hedge, that was planted years before we moved into Kilbourne Grove, has marched over 20 feet away from the fence line. Must hack it back this spring.
    A very Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the best for 2013.

  10. I planted snowberry’s cousin, coralberry, just a year ago. It is very similar and is a native here. It has pinkish-purple berries. I hope mine grows and looks as good as your snowberries one day!

    I wish you the best in the coming year and a very Merry Christmas!

  11. Donna, that is interesting that your birds eat these berries, they must be over fussy in our parts. Our lone squirrel does have a go at getting to Myra’s treats. A very happy Christmas to you also.

  12. As this is a beautiful native shrub here, you will find that there will be no berries left by winter as the small mammals and birds devour the berries…your birds have not found a taste for them 🙂 Tell Myra I love her idea and have been trying to figure a way to make treats but keep them from the squirrels who make pigs of themselves…so I will get a few cage feeders and make my own for next winters birds…or I will at least put it on my list. Have a very Happy Christmas.

  13. b-a-g, if you were to check out some of Myra’s lunch time recipes you may well choose the fatty balls as a treat. Happy Christmas to you also b-a-g, hope 2013 holds some good things for you.

  14. Hi Alistair, I used to have a snowberry, but I did not locate it well and too much shade lead to its demise. I love those white berries and would love to get another plant and situate it much better. Thanks for the reminder of what a pretty winter bush it is. I hope that you have a lovely Christmas. All the best for the new year to you and your family!

  15. Love the snow berries. Hope Myra labels those feeder balls before putting them in the fridge to prevent a breakfast mishap. Mind you, they probably work great as a hang-over cure.

    Happy Christmas Alastair & Myra!

  16. You have more ambition making the bird treats that I. It is very nice of you and Myra. The woodpecker is a fine winter visitor. Good capture.

  17. Helene, the Squirrel visits here every day also, no problem though seems like he is all alone at the moment. It doesn’t look like we will have a white Christmas in the city, maybe a few miles inland though. Look after yourself and have a great Christmas, talk again in the New Year.

  18. Angie, OH wont mind. The weather here in the city has been more miserable than severe, more serious conditions not so very far away though. Christmas wishes to you and your family also.

  19. I’m familiar with Snowberry down here in Edinburgh Alistair. A neighbour has it in her garden and I find it sends out runners under the fence. Easily removed though!!
    Those berries do look great at this time of the year – I wasn’t aware that the birds don’t feed on them – thanks for enlightening me 🙂
    I’m pleased to see your visitors are making return visits. If your OH doesn’t mind I might give her recipe a go.
    I hope you aren’t getting too bad a time of it with the weather.
    Hope you and your family have a great christmas 🙂

  20. It’s always a treat to visit your blog Alistair, I can be sure to find something I haven’t seen before and I wasn’t disappointed today either; I haven’t seen Snowberry bush before, what a lovely plant to light up with berries in the midst of winter.

    Lovely to see your birds returning, I haven’t had much luck in my garden, the squirrels eat the bird food before the birds can get to it, and the massive amount of wood pigeons I have seem to scare away all the smaller type of birds.

    Have a nice Christmas, hope you get a white Christmas and don’t get flooded, we will certainly not have a white one!

  21. Hello Alistair
    What an excellent idea for your wife to make the birds a home-made treat. No wonder they liked it better than the store-bought versions! It actually sounded quite delicious.
    I was not familiar with Snowberry but it sounds like a strong indestructible shrub that would blend well in a shrub border. I’ll add it to my list.
    Hope your Scottish Christmas is as festive as our Canadian one and I look forward to your posts again in 2013.

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