Japanese Snowbells are in the news this spring – featured on the cover of the April 2025 “Tree Edition” of Digger Magazine, the membership magazine of the Oregon Association of Nurseries. “New Frontiers for Japanese Snowbells,” the cover story authored by Erica Brown Grivas, shares a wealth of information about the rather unusual species that appears to be going mainstream as its popularity among garden designers and gardeners increases.
Guy Meacham, JFS New Plant Development Manager, is among the plant breeders and introducers interviewed. He explains how selection efforts made in the 1990’s led to our development and introduction of Snowcone® Snowbell in 2002, and our introduction in 2022 of the sensational purple-foliaged Nightfall® Snowbell. Quoted from the Digger article:
“The issue was that Styrax forms are extremely variable,” Meacham said. “If you plant 200 seedlings, you’ll have 200 very different plants. Some will be good, some will be bad. So, we wanted to create some standardized cultivars so growers would know they’d have a decent-looking plant.”
With growing market interest and an increasing number of cultivars being developed, the Japanese snowbell is poised to become a more prominent and easily sourced tree, offering a fresh alternative to other overused species. Cultivars featured in The Digger article include Snowcone® and Nightfall® plus four more cultivars that we grow and distribute to our customers across the continent.
Snowcone® Japanese Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘JFS-D’
Spring Showers Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘Spring Showers’
Late bud break makes this cultivar a good choice for areas subject to late spring freezes. Because it flowers two to three weeks later than is typical of the species, its flowers are less likely to be damaged by a late winter cold snap. Light green foliage emerges two to three weeks later than most standard cultivars, with blooms appearing on a similar timeline. Fragrant white, bell-shaped flowers dangle beneath the lustrous dark green foliage as spring transitions into summer.
Developed by the US National Arboretum’s landscape plant breeding program in McMinnville, Tennessee, Spring Showers was trialed for more than a decade prior to its release in 2011. Height and spread of this conical small tree at 10 years of age are approximately 12’ x 8’. Find details and photos on this USNA fact sheet.
Evening Light Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’ PP 24168
Think of Evening Light Snowbell as the essential little black dress of the garden – especially when accessorized with dazzling pearl-like buds that burst into bloom in June. Its glossy purple-black foliage provides a dramatically dark backdrop for the profusion of fragrant white, bell-shaped flowers that appear late in the season when few trees offer a floral display. With adequate soil moisture, some reblooming will occur. Heat-resistant foliage maintains its dark hue throughout the hot summer months. Upright oval in form, it reaches a height and spread of approximately 15’ x 10’.
Nightfall® Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘JFS 6SJ’ PP 34817
Pearl-like white flower buds ring in summer when they open in early summer to reveal delicate-looking, creamy white, bell-shaped blooms. These tumble above a cascade of dark purple leaves borne on refined, weeping branches. Earlier in the growing season, leaves emerge greenish purple and darken to the deep purple of summer, providing a lush, high-contrast backdrop to the slender, pearly-white flower buds of late spring. A tree for all seasons, its bare branches etch a graceful waterfall in the winter landscape.
Developed and introduced by our nursery, this breakthrough in Japanese Snowbell breeding is the first to combine the deep purple foliage of Evening Light Snowbell with the gracefully weeping form of green-leafed cultivars such as Fragrant Fountain. Named Best of Show in the 2022 New Varieties Showcase presented by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, Nightfall® matures to a height and spread of approximately 8’ x 6’.
Fragrant Fountain Japanese Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘Fragrant Fountain’ PP 19664
A cascade of fragrant blooms and dark green, glossy leaves smother the delicately weeping branches of this small garden-sized tree. It blooms heavily from a young age and appears more tolerant of temperature extremes than typical seedlings of the species. The leader is easily trained to reach a desired height, from which it weeps gracefully. When trained from an early age by staking to a height of about six feet, it will grow to a mature height and spread of approximately 8’ x 6’. Fall color is yellow.
Marley’s Pink™ Snowbell
Styrax japonicus ‘JLWeeping’ PP 23755
A cascade of large, firm, soft pink flowers make this selection a real winner and a better choice than other pink weeping Snowbells in the nursery trade. Vigorous growth, bold dark green foliage and improved form also recommend it over other pink weeping snowbell selections. Large flowers and gracefully cascading character make it an all season winner for the ornamental garden. Growing to a mature height and spread of approximately 8’ x 8’, its hardiness is USDA Zone 5.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
