Fuzzy deutzia vs Japanese snowball

Fuzzy deutzia and Japanese snowball are often considered for the same spot in the garden (flowers, pollinator friendly, screening, specimen). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Fuzzy deutzia

Deutzia scabra 2.5 m × 1.8 m after 10 years

A tall, upright shrub with arching branches that is covered for about two weeks in early summer with lightly scented flower clusters, white or flushed…

Shrub

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 45

Japanese snowball

Viburnum plicatum 2.5 m × 3 m after 10 years

A broad, spreading deciduous shrub with horizontal, tiered branches that are lined with two rows of white flowers in late spring: the lacecap forms…

Shrub

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 290

Key differences

Japanese snowball spreads wider: 2.5 m × 3 m after ten years, against 2.5 m × 1.8 m for Fuzzy deutzia (an estimate: sources differ).
Fuzzy deutzia tolerates drought better than Japanese snowball.
Fuzzy deutzia also takes chalky soil, Japanese snowball prefers acidic soil and struggles on chalk.
Fuzzy deutzia also takes heavy clay, Japanese snowball needs a loose, free-draining soil.

Which one to choose?

Fuzzy deutzia is the better choice if you cannot water regularly, the soil is chalky or the soil is heavy clay.

Watch out for

Fuzzy deutzia

It has no serious pests or diseases; aphids and leaf spot turn up now and then. The stems are short-lived: dead and aged branches have to be cut out every year or the shrub becomes untidy and bare at the base. In the hot, dry summers of Central Europe it wilts without watering, the leaves scorch and next year's flowering suffers, so water it in drought and mulch the soil. Shoot tips can die back in hard winters.

Japanese snowball

In the hot, dry summers of Central Europe it wilts quickly and the leaf margins brown and scorch, so it is best grown in part shade, mulched and watered in drought. It also dislikes waterlogging and heavy, airless clay, where stems may die back. It can be cut back by frost in a very hard winter. It is among the viburnums most resistant to viburnum leaf beetle and seldom has serious pests or diseases.

The data side by side

Feature	Fuzzy deutzia	Japanese snowball
Group	Shrub	Shrub
Size after 10 years	2.5 m × 1.8 m (uncertain)	2.5 m × 3 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	1.8–3 m × 1.2–2.4 m	1.5–4.5 m × 1.5–5.5 m
Growth rate	Medium	Medium
Light	Full sun, Part shade	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Acidic
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	no data	Low
Foliage	Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowering	May–June, white, pink	April–June, white, pink
Water need	Medium	Medium
Drought tolerance	Medium	Low
Maintenance	Medium	Low
Planting distance	150 cm	250 cm
For dogs	Non-toxic (uncertain)	no data
For cats	Non-toxic (uncertain)	no data
For children	Non-toxic (uncertain)	no data
Typical price	approx. CZK 45	approx. CZK 390

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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