Star-shaped white flowers smother the branches in mid-spring, followed by purple berries good enough for pies and jam, and leaves that shift from bronze to red and gold. Amelanchier earns its place in a mixed or flowered hedge: give it a spot well endowed with sun and it flowers generously, and brings in the birds.
| Name | Amelanchier |
|---|---|
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary is fine, rich if possible |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Flowering | spring |
Magnificent from spring to fall, its flowers and berries are its strongest assets.
Amelanchier is planted indifferently in fall or in spring, selecting a spot that is well endowed with sun for beautiful blooming.
Be careful, if you’re planting in spring, it is a good idea to water regularly during the 1st year after planting.
It isn’t necessary to prune the plant, but it can be useful when stems start getting tangled up.
If you wish to reduce or balance the shrub out, wait for the end of the blooming.
If not, you’ll be compromising any chance of seeing flowers appear.
Amelanchier asks very little, but a few jobs are worth timing properly. Here is the whole routine, from planting hole to secateurs, in one place.
| Task | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Planting | Fall or spring | Choose a sunny spot, in deep, well-drained soil for the best flowering |
| Watering | First year after a spring planting | Water regularly while the shrub settles in |
| Spacing in a hedge | At planting | Allow about 6 ½ feet (2 meters) between shrubs |
| Pruning | End of blooming | Thin crossing or tangled stems, and take out dead wood |
Prune at any other moment and you simply cut off the following season’s flowers.
Some amelanchiers are grown for their shape and blazing autumn leaves, others for a heavy crop of sweet berries. The table below sets out the forms most often sold in garden centres and catalogues, so you can match the shrub to the job.
| Variety | Habit | Flowers | Autumn colour | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Ballerina’ | Spreading small tree | Large white racemes | Red-purple | Lawn specimen, RHS AGM |
| ‘Robin Hill’ | Upright, oval crown | Pink buds opening white | Orange-red | Small gardens and street planting |
| Rainbow Pillar (‘Glennform’) | Narrow, upright | White | Orange to red | Screening in tight spaces |
| ‘Princess Diana’ | Graceful, spreading | White | Bright red, colouring early | Specimen shrub or small tree |
| ‘Standing Ovation’ | Narrow, columnar | White | Orange to red | Narrow beds and hedges |
| ‘Cumulus’ | Upright oval tree | Profuse white | Yellow-orange to red | Avenue and specimen tree |
| ‘Snowflakes’ | Upright tree | Large white flowers | Orange-red | Spring flower display |
| ‘Regent’ | Compact shrub, low | White | Yellow to orange | Edible hedge and containers |
| ‘Smoky’ | Suckering shrub, medium | White | Yellow to orange | Sweet berries for jam and pies |
| ‘Northline’ | Suckering shrub, medium | White | Yellow to orange | Heavy fruit crops |
| ‘Thiessen’ | Tall, upright shrub | White | Yellow to orange | Largest berries, early picking |
| ‘Martin’ | Upright shrub | White | Yellow to orange | Even-sized fruit for picking |
Between 10 to 16 feet (3 to 5 meters) tall, Amelanchier is one of those beautiful shrubs that bloom very early in the year and that contribute to making our gardens elegant.
Flowers cover the tree in a beautiful white suit mid-spring, preparing a feast for bees.
On top of its cute star-shaped flowers, it stays ornamental all year long thanks to its beautiful leafage that ranges from bronze hues in spring to red and gold in autumn.
Amelanchier flowers are indeed star-shaped, generally white, but some varieties can be a bit pinkish.
The purple-colored berries, if they’re not all picked by birds, will be great for baking delicious pies and jam.
Called serviceberries or other names like rock pear depending on the variety, these fruits are indeed edible and can also be eaten raw.
In Quebec, chuckley pear is the name they go by.
It is easy to care for and adapts to being added to a shrub bed, grown as a standalone, but its most relevant use is as a mixed hedge or a flowered hedge.
Lastly, note that amelanchier attracts birds, which is true for any of the 25 varieties that comprise this genus.
The fruits born by amelanchier are perfectly edible and will attract birds to your garden.
