Smokey Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) (gallon pot)

Description

Smokey Serviceberry is a cultivar of the native Saskatoon – it is for people who want some serious production! I is the most common commercially grown variety in Canada, with large, sweet flavorful fruit in great abundance.

8-10 feet tall, or can be pruned and maintained at 6 ft.

Berries start ripening in June or July. Berries look like blueberries, I suppose, but taste very different – but delicious. Best eaten fresh, store Ok frozen.

Super Hardy to at least -40°F. Birds do LOVE the berries – they are waiting for them to ripen just as you are … so keep an eye on them or cover with floating row cover or bird netting.

Grows best in full sun – likes plenty of compost/humus and well-drained soil.

Robin Wall Kimmerer has written a delightful book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World – that is definitely an inspiration for planting a Serviceberry bush or two!