Monticello Gardens

Common name: European cranberrybush, Jefferson's name: "Gelder Rose", Snowball Bush

Family: Adoxaceae (Moschatel)

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3

Life form: Deciduous shrub

Usage: Ornamental

Comments: This sterile garden form was known in Europe by 1554 and has been a favorite ever since. The flowers, described in 1770 as "balls of snow, lodged in a pleasing manner all over its head," have inspired other common names such as Whitsun-boss, Love-roses, and Pincushion-tree. On April 16, 1807, Jefferson planted V. opulus rosea, or “Gelder rose,” in the center of both the Northeast and Southeast shrub circles at the exterior corners of the house at Monticello.