Want to transform your yard into a haven for wildlife? Look no further than the snowberry.

This resilient and visually captivating bush with white berries is a magnet for a diverse array of creatures, from birds and bees to butterflies and beneficial moths.

Snowberry’s distinctive white waxy berries endure through the winter to provide a year-round food source for local wildlife.

What's more, the common snowberry's adaptability to various soil and light conditions makes it an ideal choice for any landscape. As a native plant recognized for its role in land rehabilitation, it's clear that the snowberry is a true all-star in both ecological and aesthetic terms (NPS).

Botanical Name: Symphoricarpos albus

Common name: Snowberry

Native Region: Entire West Coast and then across the northern US, Alaska, Canada

Growing Type: Perennial

Hardiness zone: 2-8

Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae)

Major identifying characteristics:

• Tiny clusters of pink flowers when in bloom
• Clusters of creamy white berries
• Berries persist into winter

-Missouri Botanical Garden, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, USDA, NCSU, NPS, Sheffields

→ Note: Snowberry is toxic to humans, do not attempt to eat this plant

Identifying Snowberry: Key Characteristics and Visual Identification

Height: 2-6ft

Form: Shrub, Forms thickets, spreads underground

Leaves: Ovate to Lobed, opposite each other along the stem, 1-3 inches long

Blooms: Very small inconspicuous pinkish white blooms in clusters

Fruit: Forms in clusters, starts off green and turns white as it matures, size of a blueberry

(E-Flora BC)

Finding Snowberry in the Wild: Tips and Habitats

How to find Snowberry in the Wild

Snowberry often forms in thickets - very rarely will you see one individual plant without others in sight.

You can find them along edges of forests or an areas that are partly shady along sloped streams (Burke Herbarium).

In my landscape, I find snowberry cohabitates with blackberry, usually leaning towards the sunnier sides of the blackberry patch. They are also near wild cherry, oceanspray, hawthorn, serviceberry, elderberry and hazelnut trees, as well as wild roses.

The USDA Forest Service also lists that areas with the following tree combinations are found in tandem with snowberries:

• Douglas fir with spruce, cedar, hemlock, silver fir, grand fir, pine
• Alder and ash
• Fescue, wheat, bluegrass, needlegrass, gramma, prairie

It is also found in grasslands, meadows, and prairie (USDA FS).

Next time you're out hiking or wandering along an area where the forest meets a meadow, keep your eyes peeled for these resilient plants!

Distinguish from Coralberry and Western Snowberry

• Western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) has waxy leaves that are very ovate. Flowers are more pale pink, and berries have a slight green tinge to them. Gravitates to sandier, drier, and rockier soil than Common Snowberry.
• Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) has distinct pink berries instead of white

UNL, LBJWC

Ecosystem Benefits of Snowberry

One of my favorite moths, the snowberry clearwing, selects, you guessed it, snowberries as its larval source.

When I see this amazing creature flying around the garden, I know I have the various snowberry thickets dotting my property to thank.

→ Learn more about the Snowberry Clearwing here!

Here are other animals that snowberries support

Livestock:

• Goats
• Sheep
• Cattle

My goats absolutely love the leaves of snowberry plants! They are also enjoyed by sheep and cattle and are a great source of protein for these livestock (USDA FS).

Birds

• grouse
• wild turkey
• bluebirds
• towhees
• thrush
• robins

These birds enjoy the berries throughout fall and winter, when other food is scarce (USDA FS, OSU).

Hummingbirds

‍Even though the flowers are quite tiny, hummingbirds find them a worthwhile nectar source (EMSWCD).

Bees and Beneficial Insects

• Miner Bees
• Mason Bees
• Bumblebees
• Sweat Bees
• Honeybees
• Crabronid Wasps
• Syrphid Flies
• Tachinid Flies

(MMPP)

Butterflies and moths

• Snowberry Clearwing
• Vashti Sphinx Moth
• Hawkmoths
• Owlet Moths
• Brush-footed Butterflies
• Gossamer-winged Butterflies
• Skippers
• Sulfurs

(MMPP)

How to Grow Snowberries

From Seed

Snowberry can be challenging to grow from seed, as it is “double dormant.” This means that it needs both warm and cold stratification in order to germinate.

Not only that, but the seeds can take 9 months to break dormancy in this way.

Here’s the Stratification Process for Snowberry:

1. Soak: With warm (not hot or boiling) water, soak the seeds. Let the water cool naturally and keep seeds there for 24 hours
2. Warm Moist: Sow seeds in coir or a small amount of soil in small container, or place in a bag. Keep moist, dark and warm for 45-90 days
3. Cold Moist: Move the container of seeds into your refrigerator for 180 days
4. Germinate: Move the container into an indoor seed starting station, or another warm location with light
5. Establish + Transplant: Let seeds germinate and grow into hardy plants before transplanting out

(Tree Seed Online, Sheffields)

Buy Snowberry Seeds

• Sheffields

From cuttings

It’s a lot easier to grow snowberry from cuttings

• Late Spring: Look for new growth on healthy snowberry plants.
• Cut: Take 6inch cuttings, cut on a diagonal
• Strip: Remove all leaves except for the top two
• Pot: Place the cuttings 2-3 inches apart in a container with a well draining soil mix - half rice hulls and half coir will work well
• Water: If available, make willow water and keep soil moist
• Care: Keep the container in a warm spot that receives indirect sunlight. Monitor soil moisture and water with willow-infused water when needed
• Check: In 6-12 weeks, carefully check the stems. Try to pull the stems out - if they resist, that means they have taken
• Transplant: Once your snowberry cuttings have rooted, pot them up individually until they are strong enough to go in-ground

(RNGR, The Spruce)

From suckers

It’s even easier to grow snowberry from suckers, but you’ll need an established plot of the plant for this.

• Early Spring: Go to a snowberry thicket and look for new growth along the outer edges
• Check: Lightly dig the soil around this sucker to be certain it has its own root system
• Dig: Continue to dig around the sucker, and with a pair of loppers, cut if off from the thicket - keep its root system attached
• Pot: Pot up the sucker into well-drained soil and water
• Transplant: Transplant healthy snowberries as they become strong and hardy

(RHS, The Spruce)

Buy bare root plants to propagate

• Prairie Moon
• Cold Stream Farm

Try your local garden center - snowberry is typically a very affordable plant but uncommon to find bare root online. Potted snowberries can be 4x more expensive due to shipping costs.

Permaculture Guild with Snowberry

Before we dive into Snowberry companions in the landscape, I want to define what a permaculture guild is.

A permaculture guild is a mini-ecosystem that mimics how plants grow together in nature. Usually, the plants benefit eachother in some way when grown together in a permaculture guild, or have similar growing requirements.Think of it as a robust method of companion planting, where each plant contributes to the health and productivity of the plant group.

Edible plants that coexist with (the non-edible) Snowberry are:

• Serviceberry (FS)*
• Uva Ursi (FS)
• Salal* (EMSWCD)
• Oregon Grape *(EMSWCD)
• Thimbleberry (Wiki)
• Blackberry*
• Salmonberry*
• Cleavers*
• Nettle*
• Elderberry* (proper preparation is necessary before eating)
• Hawthorn* (seeds are toxic, do not eat the seeds)

(* are personal observations)

Regenerative agriculture + gardening notes

• Biodiversity: Don’t forget, cleavers is a larval host plant for the stunning Hummingbird Hawk Moth, amongst other non-pest moths.
• Erosion Control: Snowberry grows deep into the soil, and spreads through rhizomes. This makes it a great choice for planting on slopes to avoid erosion, or to help stabilize riverbanks (NPS).

Snowberry Care Tips

Water: Snowberry does well in soil with excess moisture, and also does well in dry soils even during times of drought. It’s pretty versatile and once established does not need supplementary water in its native range.

Sun: Prefers a partly-shaded area, but will also grow in full sun to high shade areas.

Soil: Grows well in almost any soil type, even poor quality or heavy clay soil. Avoid planting in highly acidic soil or granite-derived soil.

(Useful Temperate Plants, EMSWCD)

The Culture of Snowberry

The snowberry has a wide range of ethnobotanical applications that have been employed by Indigenous Americans for centuries.

The everyday uses of snowberry include:

• Broom Making: The wispy branches of the snowberry make for a perfect broom when bunched together.
• Hair and Body Wash: The berries are high in saponins, which makes them a great cleanser for hand washing, shampoo, or body wash.
• Antiperspirant: The waxy nature of snowberries lends them to being applied to armpits to prevent excess sweating

(Native American Ethnobotany, Timber Press, via Useful Temperate Plants)

Create a Wildlife Habitat with Snowberry

In summary, the snowberry stands out as an ecologically valuable and visually appealing plant. As a native shrub that offers year-round interest and unparalleled support for biodiversity, it’s a top pick for many wildlife gardens and habitats.

Its resilience across various climates, combined with the low maintenance it requires, also makes it an excellent choice for regenerating soil and preventing erosion in habitat restoration projects.

Plant snowberry to contribute to the health of the local ecosystem and invite the beauty and balance of nature right into your backyard.

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