Summary
The Snowbush, also called Snow on the Mountain, is a beautiful tree that has
great leaf size and wonderful color, which depending on the lighting, changes.
For example, when the Snowbush is in moderate light, the leaves grow larger and
have white coloring in them. However, when the Snowbush is grown in full sun,
the leaves are actually smaller, creating a denser type of bonsai, and coloring
of pine and white. By the time the Snowbush reaches four, it stands about seven
inches tall.
Proper Care
Originating from the Pacific Islands, this tree comes from the Euphorbiaceae
family. As a tropical tree, the Snowbush can easily grow up to six feet in the
wild. However, when properly trained, this tree makes an excellent bonsai. The
bloom colors are commonly white, ivory, or pink although you will also see pale
and medium green, which appear in the mid winter months. The foliage of the
Snowbush is a silver/gray color, which is beautiful.
This particular tree requires average water on a regular basis. However, you
want to be careful not to water too much. For the soil, you want good quality
that has a pH level between 7.6 and 7.8, which is mildly alkaline. You can
propagate the Snowbush by letting the seed pods dry on the tree. Then, break
them open, collect the seeds, and store in a cool place until time to plant.
While you can use a number of different bonsai styles of the Snowbush, anything
upright is ideal. To ensure you get the most of out the Snowbush’s color, you
want to be sure to provide adequate humidity, which can be achieved by using a
humidity tray. Typically, the Snowbush is very hardy and healthy but
unfortunately, they are prone to aphids, spider mites and the white fly.
Therefore, you would need to use organic pesticide to control the problem.
