Weather is Calling for Snowballs in California

By Bill Prescott, Published on April 19th, 2023.

Sun Valley's viburnum crop is rolling in, starting now.  This unique botanical brings a seasonal flair to Sun Valley’s springtime line up of tulips, lilies, iris, peonies and butterfly ranunculus.

Sun Valley Viburnum ready to ship!

Viburnum is the darling of spring, perfect for Earth Day! Picked with green heads, they magically turn white, hence the name “Snowballs”.  We pick them at just the right stage so they stay firm and fresh, then transition to white at the consumer’s home. 

While the majority of Sun Valley’s crops are grown at our coastal farm in Arcata, the viburnum is grown at about 650 feet above sea level in a wonderful microclimate in Willow Creek, California. This location, literally on the Trinity River, creates a perfect environment for the Viburnum, as well as the Ilex, Cotinus, Rosehips and Snowberries that we harvest later in the season.

Viburnum field in Willow Creek, CA.

We grow the viburnum in both hoop houses and open fields, however, Mother Nature is still the boss here, so the crop usually comes in with a big flourish. Our advice is to call your rep and pre-order the stems you want, because the crop moves very fast and there is a lot of demand. 

This crop sells out every year, but that said, the season is usually no more than 4 weeks, so it is sort of crazy.  With cold spring we have had in Willow Creek, we do anticipate shipping viburnum for Mother’s Day… but please plan ahead!

Our Viburnum grower, Vicente.

Operators are standing by!